Fabeltjeskrant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fabeltjeskrant |
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"Meneer de Uil", the main character of the series
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| Based on | The work of Leen Valkenier |
| Country of origin | Netherlands |
| No. of episodes | 1640 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Thijs Chanowski Loek de Levita Andrew Davenport (British version) Lykke Li (swedish version) Max Matsuura (japanese version) Charles Gillibert (French version) |
| Running time | 4/5 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | NOS (Netherlands) Récré A2 (France) RAI 1 / TMC (Italy) NRK (Norway) SVT (Sweden) ITV (UK) NHK (Japan) |
| Original release | 29 September 1968 – 4 October 1989 |
Fabeltjeskrant (which means "The Fables Newspaper" in Dutch) is a super popular Dutch children's television series. It uses puppetry and stop motion to bring its characters to life.
The show was created in 1968 by Leen Valkenier. It was produced by Thijs Chanowski and Loek de Levita. Fabeltjeskrant aired until 1989. You could watch it on channels like NOS, RTL 4, RTL 8, and NHK in Japan. It was also shown on the Belgian channel VRT. From 1973 to 1975, it even aired in the United Kingdom. There, it was called The Daily Fable on ITV.
Contents
What is Fabeltjeskrant About?
Each episode of Fabeltjeskrant tells a fable. Fables are short stories that teach a lesson. These stories often come from famous writers like Jean de La Fontaine, Aesop, and Phaedrus. Some fables were also written by the show's creator, Leen Valkenier.
The main character is an owl named "Meneer de Uil" (Mr. Owl). He starts each episode by reading a fable to the other characters. The show takes place in a magical forest. This forest is home to many different animals made of felt. The very first episode aired on September 29, 1968, on NOS.
Who are the Characters?
The characters in Fabeltjeskrant are all animals. Their last names usually tell you what kind of animal they are!
Main Characters You'll Love
- Meneer de Uil (Mr. Owl): Also known as Jacob de Uil. He's the wise owl who narrates the stories. In the British version, he was simply "Mr. Owl."
- Juffrouw Ooievaar (Miss Stork): A graceful stork.
- Lowieke de Vos (Mr. Cunningham): A clever fox.
- Crox de Raaf (Mr. Crow): A raven.
- Bor de Wolf (Boris the Wolf): A wolf.
- Ed Bever (Fred Beaver): A beaver.
- Willem Bever (Bert Beaver): Another beaver.
- Zoef de Haas (Zippy the Hare): A speedy hare.
- Stoffel de Schildpad (Shelly the Tortoise): A slow and steady tortoise.
- Truus de Mier (Miss Ant): A busy ant.
- Gerrit de Postduif (Gerald the Pigeon): The mail pigeon.
- Meindert het Paard (Milord the Horse): A horse.
- Droes de Beer (Harold the Bear): A bear.
- Jodocus de Marmot (George the Guinea Pig): A marmot.
- Isadora Paradijsvogel (Isadora Bird-of-Paradise)
- Myra Hamster
- Martha Hamster
- Momfer de Mol (Momfer the Mole)
- Chico Lama
- Greta Bontekoe (Greta Cow)
- Zaza Zebra
- Woefdram
Newer Characters
These characters joined the show later on, not in the very first series.
- Fatima de Poes: An Iranian Muslim cat. She only appeared in a theater show in 2007.
- Wally Windhond: A DJ dog who appeared in 2019. His voice and music were done by Armin van Buuren.
- Peter Panda: A panda who also appeared in 2019.
Fabeltjeskrant Around the World
This popular show was adapted in many other countries! Here are some of the titles it had:
- France: Le petit écho de la Forêt (The Little Echo of the Forest)
- Hungary: Fabulácskahírek (The Fables Newspaper)
- Israel: Sipurimpo (Stories Here)
- Italy: Il bosco dei perché (The Wood of the Questions)
- Norway: Fablenes bok (The Book of Fables)
- Sweden: Fablernas värld (World of Fables)
- United Kingdom: The Daily Fable
- Peru: Las Crónicas de Fabulandia (Chronicles of Fableland)
- Mexico: Las Crónicas de Fabulandia (Chronicles of Fableland)
- Japan: "Fachishu shinbun" ("The animals of Fables village")
- Poland: Leśna gazetka ("Forest newspaper")
Other Ways to Enjoy Fabeltjeskrant
The world of Fabeltjeskrant didn't just stay on TV!
- In 1969, Lex Overeijnder created a short-lived comic strip based on the show.
- Another comic strip by Dick Vlottes was published in 1975.
- A movie called Onkruidzaaiers in Fabeltjesland premiered in theaters in 1970.
- In 2007, a musical version was created by Ruud de Graaf and Hans Cornelissen.
The Big Comeback!
In November 2017, exciting news arrived! A new 3D animated series of Fabeltjeskrant was announced. It started airing in 2019 on Netflix in the Netherlands.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2018, a special book, an exhibition, and a new movie were released.
