European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 07, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse A a Rikin a a a Quot a is is Quot needed a a make one character a a a ivc one step6 Little gnomes create a to world of peace Nita Gosch staff writer there really is a Kinder gentler world out there. And for More than 27 years Wolf Gerlach and his colleagues have been working hard to keep it that Way. It is the world of the Maine Mannchen the animated childlike gnomes that appear during the commercial Breaks on Germany Szof television Channel. In their world nothing More serious happens than a bruised knee or a bump on the head nothing More evil than a humorous child a prank. That a what Gerlach had in mind when he conceived of the Maine Mannchen cartoon spots in 1962 and that a the Way it will always be. A we place great importance on presenting a sound world a no violence a says Jurgen Konig chief Maine Mannchen animator. A we have enough violence on to the purpose of the Maine Mannchen spots which last Between three and 20 seconds each is to provide Adf with station identification and to separate the commercials from each other. Unlike american television in which commercials Are inserted into the shows German to presents three five minute blocks of about 15 commercials each evening in Between commercials done to run on sundays. Each National and regional Channel has its own animated figures that appear Between the commercials. In Berlin there a the Berlin Bear in Bremen the town musicians of fairy tale Fame and in Hessen there a the make believe figure a Zonkel in the Case of the Germany wide Adf whose Headquarters Are in Mainz the term Manzelman Chen is a play on the word the German word for gnome. Over the years the six Maine Mannchen have developed into distinct personalities Anton is the Clumsy one of the Bunch Berti is the Clown the bespectacled Del is the brain edits into sports Conny is the Young cub of the pack and Fritz Chen . With some 18,000 different Maine Mannchen spots that have aired during their 27-year existence the gnomes have become As popular with children in Germany As Mickey mouse and Donald Duck. The figures appear on children a bedsheets towels and pyjamas umbrellas purses buttons and suspenders. There Are Maine Mannchen dolls books and record albums. The cartoons whose gags lie in the action rather than the dialogue have appeared on to in some 10 countries including Finland Japan Korea and South Africa. A the plots of the cartoons come from the heart and go directly into the hearts of the viewers a says Maine Mannchen a a father Gerlach. A a that a the secret of their Success a the childlike effect of these Little gnomes raises the viewers protector instincts. When one of them Falls Down children suffer with the animation of the Maine Mannchen is done in the conventional Way a by hand a instead of through modern computer graphics. Animator Konig says the Cost of using computers would be too High Given the amount of animation produced each year. Besides he says computer graphics would take away from the figures personalities and lifelike appearance. A particularly in these Modem technological times people want to maintain some sense of nostalgia a Konig says. A they can get that through these Little round Fellows who seem so real and it takes about seven or eight weeks to produce a five second cartoon says Konig. Once an idea for a new spot has been depicted in storyboard format Konig draws individual pictures showing the figures movements. This could mean he has to draw up to 44 different pictures. These drawings Are traced onto cellophane sheets and coloured in. The individual sheets Are photographed by a 35inm camera the film is Edi Ted and the sound effects Are added. Gerlach who has since retired from full time Maine Mannchen duty still produces the sound effects himself and adds the few High pitched squeaks that the gnomes utter. He spends a few Days each month at the Maine Mannchen factory in Wiesbaden to oversee the production. And when he sat Home in Northern Germany he does what he Calls his a a Homework a he watches the Maine Mannchen spots on television each evening with his grandchildren or with kids from the neighbourhood. A a it a always important for me to keep in Tunc with the kids to see what they like and what they done to like a he says. Gerlach says he a received some negative criticism for the kind gentle world portrayed in the Maine Mannchen cartoons. But he shrugs it off. A i think its Nice that somewhere out there there a still a sound world a he says. A we just want to spread a Little cheerfulness. If we can make just 1,000 people smile everyday then the world is a lot better a amps l. Emmott Lewis 7,1990 sunday to plus c
