Krtek, Eastern Bloc’s Answer to Mickey Mouse, Lives On

Twenty years since the communist governments of Central and Eastern Europe collapsed, the popularity of one icon from the Cold War Era has not ebbed. At a time when most Central European children are familiar with Winnie the Pooh and Cookie Monster, Krtek, a Czech cartoon character that first appeared in the 1950s, can be also spotted throughout Prague, Budapest and beyond on t-shirts, DVDs, plush toys and numerous other products – serving as a nostalgic reminder for a growing number adults in the region for what, in their view, was a simpler, more innocent period.

Krtek, or the Little Mole in English, began in 1956 as a cartoon to show children how flax is produced. Zdenek Miler, the creator of the cartoon, was influenced by Walt Disney and wanted an animal to be the principal character. According to a popular Czech story, one day Miler went on a walk and tripped on a molehill; Krtek was born.

The first episodes of Krtek were narrated. However, Miler wanted his cartoon to appeal to children in other countries. Thus, the only sounds one hears are background music and short exclamations, which were originally voiced by Miler’s young daughters.

Each episode attempts to teach children lessons about life and becoming good members of a community. Thus, Miler’s daughters also served as the testing grounds for each cartoon. Miler would show the cartoon to them first to see if the message of each story was getting across to children.

The Little Mole is presented as an industrious, cheerful and resourceful critter, who along with his friends – a family of rabbits, a hedgehog, a mouse and a violin-playing cricket – manages to find solutions to problematic situations. Each episode lasts no longer than a few minutes.

Though the Krtek cartoon was released in over 80 countries, its popularity is strongest in the countries that used to comprise the Eastern Bloc.

“I still enjoy watching the Little Mole. There are a lot of cartoons that are now being shown in Hungary that seem to be all about violence. The mole was much different. Even though most of the cartoons were made more than 30 years ago, they still offer lessons that are valuable to the children of today,” said Ildiko Kiss, 41, of Gyula, Hungary.

A search of Facebook reveals dozens of Krtek fan clubs which have sprouted up in recent months. In Budapest, businesses ranging from a hardware store to a second-hand clothing outlet, have named themselves after the Little Mole.

To be sure, toys based on well-known characters of western television shows have established a ubiquitous presence on what was once the eastern side of the Iron Curtain. Nevertheless, it is not an uncommon site in toy stores throughout the region to see a plush version of Krtek placed alongside those of Mickey Mouse or Tigger.

Like the recent trend towards Ostalgie in Germany, the nostalgia for the way things were in the former East Germany, denizens of other former Eastern Bloc states are finding greater comfort in reminiscing about pre-1989 days.