The Little mole and his friends – mouse / Krtek a kamardi – Mika 12 cm – Maulwurf und Freunde / Kisvakond s bartai – Egr / Krteek / Age 0+ / The Most favourite Czech animated characterUPC / EAN 8590121497022MADE IN CZECH Republic (Hand made)DIMENSIONS: 12 CM (HEIGHT) – 4.7 InchesProduct code: 49702BOXMoravsk stredna Brno drustvo umeleck vyrobyGreat gift – plush toy for toddlers – Age 0+Krtek a kamardi – MikaMaulwurf und Freunde – Maulwurf MtzeThe Little mole and his friends – MouseMole (Czech: Krtek, Krteek) is an animated character in a series of cartoons created by Czech animator Zdenk Miler. The premiere of the first short film with Mole took place at the Venice Film Festival in 1957. Since its inception, the cartoon has gained enormous popularity in many Central European countries, as well as India, China, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Iran, Iraq, and Japan.Krtek was first seen in 1956 in Prague, when Miler wanted to create a children’s cartoon about how flax is processed. He wanted a strong Disney influence to the cartoon by choosing an animal for the leading role, and decided to pick a mole after stumbling over a molehill during a walk. The first film, called “Jak krtek ke kalhotkm piel” (“How the mole got his trousers”), had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 1957, where it was awarded two Golden Lions. Production for further episodes started in 1963 and since then, around 50 episodes have been created.Zdenk Miler (Czech pronunciation: [zdk mlr]; 21 February 1921 30 November 2011) was a Czech animator and illustrator best known for his Mole (Krtek or Krteek in original) character and its adventures.Miler made about 70 films. In approximately 50 of them, the protagonist was his most famous creation, the small mole (Krtek in Czech). The idea for its creation ame when he was commissioned to make an educational film for children in 1956. He was not happy with the script he was given. Since he was strongly influenced by the films of Walt Disney, he looked for an animal as the main character. Later, he said that the idea to use a mole as his main character came to him when he stumbled over a mole hill during a walk. The first film was titled Jak krtek ke kalhotkm piel (How the mole got his trousers), which won a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. In the beginning, the mole spoke, but Miler wanted his creation to be understood everywhere in the world, so he decided to use his daughters as voice actors, reducing the speech to short non-figurative exclamations in order to express Krtek’s feelings and world perception. His daughters were also his test audience, who got to see the films first. Thus, Miler could see whether his message resonated with children.Krtek was a huge success in Czechoslovakia, Eastern Europe, and Germany from the beginning, and today Krtek can be seen in over 80 countries.