Max mole
Max Maulwurf is a symbol of the Deutsche Bahn AG for its information policy and serves as a construction site ambassador. The caricature depicts a humanized mole and is depicted on posters, leaflets, brochures and other media that provide information about the company's construction sites and their effects. Wherever Deutsche Bahn plans maintenance / renovation work or other work on the route or at train stations, Max Maulwurf encourages travelers and residents to understand the restrictions that arise and in many cases communicates the duration and type of construction work. The copywriters behind the figure often use humorous puns such as "Clear the ring for our construction circus in the tunnel stations along the main line".
It was designed in 1993 for the renovation work on the Berlin Stadtbahn . The first publication of the figure was on May 27, 1994 in Berlin. Since 2003 it has been used in the entire network of DB Netz AG on information and appeasement media. On the occasion of the construction work on the Berlin-Hamburg railway , a Max Mole extra sheet appeared for the first time in 2009 with information, puzzles and a children's page.
The template for the figure of Max Maulwurf was the mole from the book Vom kleine Maulwurf, who wanted to know who hit his head by Werner Holzwarth (idea, text) and Wolf Erlbruch (illustrations) from 1989. It was drawn from 1993 to 2002 by Wolf Erlbruch , since 2002 by the draftsman Fritz Reuter from Stuttgart.
In 2009, 18.7 million posters, brochures and flyers were printed with Max Mole motifs.
The mascot is often even "live" on site at information events relating to the construction of rail infrastructure. It is a person in a plush costume with plastic claws and yellow rubber boots. This gives visitors the opportunity to take souvenir photos of the construction site with him.
Web links
- Max Mole fansite of the Deutsche Bahn
- The perfect railroad mascot : Consideration in context: weekly newspaper . Minh Schredle May 2, 2018