Meister Eder und sein Pumuckl facts for kids
Meister Eder und sein Pumuckl (English: Master Eder and his Pumuckl) is a popular German children's series. It was created by Ellis Kaut. The stories first began as radio plays in 1961. Later, they became successful books, a TV show, three films, and even a musical.
Pumuckl is a small, red-haired Kobold. He is a type of mischievous spirit. He comes from a family of sea spirits called Klabautermänner. Pumuckl is usually invisible to most people. Only the master carpenter, Meister Eder, can see him. Pumuckl is a very loved character in Germany. Many children have grown up with this funny and cheeky little kobold.
Contents
Discovering Pumuckl's World
How Pumuckl Met Meister Eder
Pumuckl loves the ocean and sailboats. This is because his ancestors were sea spirits. One day, he found himself lost in Bavaria, far from any ships. He doesn't like tidy places. So, he hid in an old carpenter's messy workshop. This workshop belonged to an older man named Meister Eder.
Pumuckl's fate was sealed by the workshop's mess. He got stuck on a pot of overflowing glue! There's a special rule for kobolds: if one gets stuck to something made by humans, they become visible. They must then stay with the human who sees them. In this case, it was Meister Eder.
Pumuckl is always visible when he is alone with Meister Eder. But he turns invisible if other people come near. At first, Meister Eder didn't want Pumuckl around. He liked being alone. But Pumuckl made it clear that he had to stay. Soon, a strong friendship grew between the old carpenter and the playful kobold.
Meister Eder was a "Schreinermeister." This means he was a master carpenter who made and fixed furniture. The title "Meister" meant he was skilled enough to teach others.
Typical Pumuckl Adventures
Pumuckl stories often start in different ways. Sometimes, Pumuckl feels bored in the workshop. Meister Eder might tell him to go explore. He always warns Pumuckl not to cause trouble. Of course, Pumuckl usually finds trouble anyway!
Other times, Pumuckl sneaks out without permission. He might meet people in the neighborhood. He loves to listen to their conversations. He sometimes plays jokes on them. Or he tries to help, but his help doesn't always go as planned.
Sometimes, a customer comes to the workshop. They might have something Pumuckl really likes. Or they might spot one of Pumuckl's tiny pieces of furniture. Meister Eder made these special items for him. The customer often wants to buy it!
Meister Eder also has a sister and a cleaning lady. Sometimes, a conflict happens between them and Meister Eder. Pumuckl often tries to "help" fix things. Meister Eder and Pumuckl also go on holidays or day trips. This leads to new adventures.
If someone makes fun of Meister Eder for believing in Pumuckl, Pumuckl tries to make things better. Sometimes, Meister Eder gives Pumuckl a gift. But often, Pumuckl's mischief leads to the gift being taken away. Pumuckl also loves to discover new things in the house. He might play with matches, for example.
At the end of most TV show episodes, Pumuckl and Meister Eder make up. However, sometimes Pumuckl gets a punishment. In one episode, Pumuckl made chocolate pudding without permission. Meister Eder made him stay on the balcony and ate the pudding alone. In a two-part story called "The Big Dispute," Meister Eder even threw Pumuckl out! But they always reconcile in the end.
Meet the Main Characters
Pumuckl
Pumuckl acts like a mischievous child. He is very playful and sometimes immature. His age is never mentioned. Before he became visible, his life was very different. He didn't need to eat and felt no cold or heat.
Meister Eder sees Pumuckl as a child. He often tries to teach him right from wrong. But Pumuckl doesn't always learn his lessons. For example, he loves to steal things. Meister Eder always makes him return what he takes.
Pumuckl can be selfish at times. This sometimes leads to him doing wrong things. But when he realizes he has hurt someone, he feels truly sorry. He then tries his best to help that person.
In the TV show, Pumuckl wears a yellow shirt and green trousers. He wears these clothes from the first time Meister Eder sees him. He is always barefoot.
The actor Hans Clarin gave Pumuckl his voice in the radio plays and TV show.
Meister Eder
Meister Eder is very different from Pumuckl. Pumuckl loves trouble, but Meister Eder prefers a quiet life. He spends most of his time with Pumuckl. He also has a few friends, who are also older craftsmen. They meet regularly at the local pub.
Meister Eder's first name is Franz. He has a sister and two young nieces, Barbara and Monika. He also has a nephew named Dieter. His sister worries that he never married and spends too much time alone. This sometimes causes arguments between them.
Meister Eder's workshop is often messy. But he likes his living space, which is above the workshop, to be clean. That's why he has a cleaning lady. She appears in many stories.
Meister Eder is a law-abiding citizen. He is careful with his work and always polite. He doesn't like it when Pumuckl steals things. But if Pumuckl plays a small joke that makes him laugh, he might not mind so much.
The Bavarian actor Gustl Bayrhammer played Meister Eder in the TV show.
Other Important Characters
- Mrs. Eichinger - She is Meister Eder's cleaning lady. She is very superstitious. She often tries to get Meister Eder to believe in things like horoscopes. Meister Eder usually doesn't believe her.
- Mr. Bernbacher - He is a welder and Meister Eder's best friend. Bernbacher often teases Meister Eder about Pumuckl. This sometimes makes Pumuckl play pranks on him.
- Mr. Schmitt - He runs a small car repair shop. He is another friend of Meister Eder's.
- Mr. Wimmer - He owns an antique store. Meister Eder sometimes repairs furniture for him. We usually only hear him on the phone.
- Mr. Schwertfeger - An older friend of Mr. Eder. He appears in the film and some episodes. He is known for wearing two pairs of glasses at once!
- Mr. and Mrs. Stürzlinger - They are the caretakers of the building where Meister Eder lives and works.
- Mrs. Hartl - She is Meister Eder's nosy and sometimes difficult neighbor.
