Helmi
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Helmi is a doll figure popular in Austria, Switzerland and parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Since 1980 she has given tips on correct behavior in traffic and other important areas of life for children in around 1250 ORF television programs (source: ORF, as of 2005). The programs are produced by the ORF together with the Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit .
Memorable lyrics (main slogan: " Open your eyes, open your ears, Helmi is here" ) serve as didactic aids . The commissioner and responsible for the topics is the Board of Trustees for Road Safety , which aims to call on children to be careful and vigilant in order to recognize and master dangerous situations.
The Helmi doll was created by the late Arminio Rothstein . Christine Rothstein and the Arlequin Theater team are responsible for the puppets, sets and puppet shows . All films are made by Pammer Film Production .
history
The idea for "Helmi" - a white, spherical figure with very short arms and legs, half of which is in a red-white-red helmet - goes back to the ORF journalist Franz Robert Billisich, who put the figure on paper in 1979 . In 1980 Arminio Rothstein converted the sketches into a doll that could be played on television. Even after more than 30 years, the original is still in use. The first "Helmi" spokesman was news anchor Herbert Slavik (whose voice was electronically alienated), in 1985 he was replaced by Alfons Haider , who in turn was replaced in 1991 by Viktor Couzyn.
In 1982 Helmi was given the figure Karli Katastrofsky as a negative example (figure spoken by young Hademar "Hadschi" Bankhofer ). In 1988 the dog Socrates was added, who was also spoken by Hademar Bankhofer until 1990.
Robert Billisich and Britta Hellmann were initially responsible for the scripts, Thomas Brezina from 1988 and Stefan Fleming from 2000 .
"Helmi's" tools have also changed over time. At the end of the eighties he exchanged his hot air balloon for a spaceship called Schwuppodrom , which was given a general overhaul on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. Helmi has had a younger outfit since June 2006: he became slimmer and had a fringe on his forehead.
Helmi on RTL II
From 2002 onwards, Helmi and his friends appeared independently of the Arlequin Theater team as a cartoon character on German television with a similar basic concept, new signature and a different design. RTL II showed a weekly episode with tips for safe behavior in traffic and in the household. In addition, there was a website with additional games and information, on which one could see all episodes broadcast so far. In contrast to the Austrian series, the title melody changed once or twice per annual season. From the 3rd season it was based on the original main slogan, but was brought in an adapted, very modern variant. In the meantime, Helmi has been replaced by the Ampelinis , a new series with a similar concept.