Paulus the woodgnome facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paulus de Boskabouter
Author(s)	Jan van Oort, aka Jean Dulieu
Current status/schedule	Terminated
Launch date	February 2, 1946
End date	1984
Genre(s)	Fantasy comics

Paulus the woodgnome (called Paulus de boskabouter in Dutch) was a popular comic strip from the Netherlands. It appeared in newspapers from 1946 to 1984. This comic was so loved that it led to children's books, a radio show, and a puppet TV series! Jean Dulieu (whose real name was Jan van Oort) created Paulus. He even made all the different versions of his story himself. Paulus's adventures were translated into languages like German, English, Swedish, and Japanese.

Meet Paulus and His Friends

Paulus is a friendly gnome who lives deep in the forest. He loves nature and enjoys a quiet pipe now and then. Paulus has many animal friends who join him on his adventures. But not everyone in the forest is friendly! Paulus also has a main enemy, a tricky witch.

Main Characters in Paulus's World

• Paulus: He is a kind and good-hearted wood gnome. Paulus is a friend to all living things in the forest.
• Oehoeboeroe: This wise owl is a good friend of Paulus. He often uses old-fashioned words when he speaks.
• Gregorius: A badger who is a bit lazy and loves to eat. He sometimes mixes up his words, which is called a spoonerism. He is also a good friend to Paulus.
• Salomo: A smart raven who is another loyal friend of Paulus.
• Eucalypta: She is an evil witch and Paulus's biggest enemy. She often tries to cause trouble in the forest.
• Krakras: This used to be a crow, but Eucalypta turned her into a featherless chick. Krakras often helps the witch with her plans.

Other Forest Friends and Foes

• Mol: A helpful mole who often assists Paulus.
• Pluim: A friendly squirrel and one of Paulus's companions.
• Wipper: A quick and playful rabbit.
• Reintje: An unkind fox who sometimes works with Eucalypta to bother the other animals.
• Poetepa and Moetema: A bear couple. They have a little cub named Poetepoet, who once ran away because he wanted to grow up fast.

Paulus on the Radio

Between 1955 and 1964, Paulus de boskabouter became a radio play series. It was broadcast by VARA radio in the Netherlands. An amazing 900 episodes were made! Jean Dulieu, the creator, did all the voices himself. The only exception was Princess Priegeltje, voiced by his daughter Dorinde van Oort. The show's theme music was "Dance of an ostracised imp" by Frederic Curzon. Many episodes were later released on vinyl records and CDs.

Paulus on Television

The popular gnome also came to life on television!

The First Puppet Series (1967-1968)

From October 1, 1967, to December 29, 1968, Paulus de boskabouter was a puppet series for VARA television. Jean Dulieu made all the puppets himself. He also provided all the voices for the characters. Fred Bosman was the director of this series. This show was so popular that it was shown in many countries. It was exported to the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan. In the UK, the show was narrated by Arthur Lowe and aired on ITV.

The Second Puppet Series (1974-1975)

A new puppet TV series about Paulus began on September 29, 1974. It ran until May 31, 1975. For this version, the puppets were made by the Brothers Slabbers. Professional actors provided the voices. These actors included Elsje Scherjon, Frans van Dusschoten, and Ger Smith. They also worked on another famous Dutch children's show, De Fabeltjeskrant. Leen Valkenier wrote the scripts, and Loek de Levita produced the show.

Paulus in Books

During the 1970s, Paulus stories were also published as a series of children's novels. Starting in 2003, De Meulder Publishers began releasing a new series of Paulus books. These are often called the red books.

Paulus Book Titles

• "The Hay Cage"
• "The Log Plan"
• "The Sparrows Job"
• "The Heroic Mole"
• "The Outdoor Schnaps"
• "The Squat Birds"
• "The Boo Trees"
• "The Inventor"
• "Acornities"
• "The Snow Sniffer"
• "The Fly Chicken"
• "United We Stand"
• "The Jumpsuit"
• "The Trinity"
• "The Bottle Man"
• "The Annual Assembly"
• "The Frog Bride"
• "The Rooster Helmet"
• "In Dire Straits"
• "Snails' Talk"
• "The Breton Beast"
• "The Hats Party"

More books are still being published!