Krtek, the mole
Everyone has a bedtime routine: eat dinner, take a shower, put on some pajamas, brush your teeth, and finally hop into bed to relax. For people from the Czech Republic, especially kids, their bedtime routine is never complete without 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办. This is a children鈥檚 bedtime story show showcasing a character in the intro and outro called 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办. It always plays before seven o鈥檆lock and features one ten-minute long story. 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办 was created by a team, drawn by Radek 笔颈濒补艡 and animated by Anton铆n 叠耻谤别拧, the music composed by Ladislav Simon, and the show directed by V谩clav 叠别诲艡颈肠丑. This group collaborated with many other talented authors, leading today to the wide selection of stories 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办 offers.
The beloved character, 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办, is portrayed as a young boy with blue hair, sporting a shirt, yellow pants, and shoes, with his signature triangle paper hat made from newspaper. The intro to 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办 shows the boy going through the night sky using a variety of different types of transportation while throwing pages left and right, symbolizing that there is a story about to be told. Right from there is where the ten-minute bedtime story begins, culminating with 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办 making an appearance once more to say 鈥淒obrou noc!鈥 which means 鈥淕ood night!鈥 in English.
Pat a Mat
One popular kid鈥檚 cartoon that was broadcasted on 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办 is 鈥淢axipes F铆k鈥, created by V谩clav 叠别诲艡颈肠丑, about a dog who grows to be very large causing 鈥渢error鈥 on the neighborhood, but inside he is a truly kind and caring animal who ends up venturing out in the world with the help of his family. Another popular cartoon was called 鈥淏ob a Bobek鈥 which is made by multiple people but directed by V谩clav 叠别诲艡颈肠丑, Miroslav Walter, and Ivo Hejcman. The show follows the adventures of two rabbits that live in a magician鈥檚 hat. Next up on the list is 鈥淢ach a 艩ebestov谩鈥 which is written by Milo拧 Macourek and Jaroslav Doubrava and illustrated by Adolf Born. This cartoon shared stories about two children, Mach and 艩ebestov谩, who possess a magical phone that fulfills their wishes, taking them anywhere and allowing them to encounter interesting situations. Lastly, another very good and popular story broadcasted on Ve膷ern铆膷ek is 碍谤迟别膷别办 by Zden臎k Miler. This cartoon is very widely known and may be the most popular. 碍谤迟别膷别办 showcases stories about a little mole who experiences a variety of adventures with his woodland friends in the forest and several other places. Krtek became a major cultural symbol of the Czech Republic and is known in households worldwide.
With the help of these collaborators providing their diverse cartoons, 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办 remains the longest broadcasted show in the Czech Republic. 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办 also claims its importance in gaining cult status and becoming a part of the Czech cultural heritage and the nation鈥檚 identity. 痴别膷别谤苍颈膷别办 is the bedtime routine for not only children but everyone in the Czech Republic.
Written by: Lucy Vanecko
Works Cited
Petra. 鈥淰e膷ern铆膷ek - Czech Bedtime Stories.鈥 Czechology, 17 Feb. 2025, .
Romandash, Written by Anna, et al. 鈥淟ong Live Ve膷ern铆膷ek: The Enduring Appeal of a 55-Year-Old Czech Children鈥檚 Television Show.鈥 Global Voices, 2 Jan. 2020, .
鈥淰ecernicek Celebrates 40 Years.鈥 Radio Prague International, 7 Apr. 2021, .