Little King Kalle Wirsch

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Little King Kalle Wirsch is a children's book by the German author Tilde Michels for children and young people from 1969.

The story was filmed as a marionette play by the Augsburger Puppenkiste in four episodes by Hessischer Rundfunk and broadcast for the first time on November 8, 15, 22 and 29, 1970 by ARD . A shortened soundtrack, which was additionally provided with a narrator ( Manfred Jenning , who was also the director of the television adaptation), appeared on LP .

action

Kalle Wirsch rules as king of the meerkats over the five peoples of Wirsche (blond), Wolde (blue-haired), Gilche (two small braids), Trumpe (green or black-haired) and Murke (red braid). Zoppo Trump, the leader of Trump, wants to dispute the throne for him and challenges him to a duel, since under meerkat law the victor is entitled to royal dignity. The fight is supposed to take place in the Wiwogitrumu Castle on the next full moon.

In order to get the royal dignity without a fight, Zoppo tries to prevent Kalle from reaching the battlefield by using various traps. The plans come from the rat, who promised Zoppo a ministerial office, and are carried out by the stupid trumpets Querro and Quarro and the spider. The conspirators also sing the song:

We're laying a trap / this will be for the best
because this little Kalle / will definitely fall into it
and if he's in then we'll never let him out again
The Kalle crouches in the trap / like a poor mouse.

Zoppo's conspirators kidnap Kalle first to the surface of the earth, where he is baked in a garden gnome, but thanks to the human children Jenny and Max can free himself. These are shrunk by Kalle with the help of a root called raxel so that they can accompany him into the interior of the earth. On the journey to the meerkat fortress, Kalle escapes further traps and obstacles and even has to defeat the dragon Murrumesch before he reaches the fortress in the belly of a fireworm. Here, to Zoppo's horror, the battle takes place. This consists of three competitions and Kalle wins 2: 1 despite an injured hand.

The figures

  • King Kalle Wirsch , king of the meerkats
  • Jenny and Max , two human children who accompany Kalle Wirsch into the interior of the earth
  • Tutulla , a bat friend of Kalle, speaks with a Swiss accent and serves as the narrator
  • Zoppo Trump , called "the strong one", leader of the Trumpets and challenger to Kalles
  • Quarro and Querro , two strong but clumsy subordinates of Zoppos (only in the puppet version) .
  • The rat , advisor and co-conspirator of Zoppos
  • The spider , co-conspirator of Zoppos (only in the puppet version)
  • Coal juke , coal workers with a fascination for the human world
  • Blind ferryman , transports the meerkats across a lake on their way to the fortress. He is bribed by Zoppo and tries to drown Kalle Wirsch in the middle of the lake. The blind ferryman is based on Charon , the ferryman of the underworld in Greek mythology .
  • Murrumesch , a warring with the meerkats Dragon Kalle thousand years ago the deadly uranium stone has decreased

media

Book editions (selection)

musical

  • Christian Gundlach (after Tilde Michels): Little King Kalle Wirsch. Whale Songs , Hamburg

LP

  • Little King Kalle Wirsch. Disneyland Records DQ 9407 (TV adaptation)

CD

Video

  • Augsburger Puppenkiste: Little King Kalle Wirsch. Part 1 (2 episodes), Sony Music Entertainment
  • Augsburger Puppenkiste: Little King Kalle Wirsch. Part 2 (2 episodes), Sony Music Entertainment

DVD

  • Augsburger Puppenkiste: Little King Kalle Wirsch. Lighthouse home entertainment

literature

  • Barbara van den Speulhof, Fred Steinbach (ed.): The big book of the Augsburger Puppenkiste. (= Anniversary band for the 65th anniversary and the 60th television birthday of the Augsburger Puppenkiste). Boje Verlag, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3-414-82354-0 , pp. 124-125.

Web links