The Robber Hotzenplotz facts for kids

The Robber Hotzenplotz is a famous character from a series of children's books. These books were written by the German author Otfried Preußler. The original German title is Der Räuber Hotzenplotz. There are three exciting stories about Hotzenplotz:

• The Robber Hotzenplotz (1962)
• News from the Robber Hotzenplotz (1969)
• Hotzenplotz 3 (1973)

Artist Josef Tripp drew the pictures for all three books. These books became very popular. They were translated into at least 34 different languages. More than six million copies of the books have been sold worldwide!

How the Stories Began

In the early 1960s, Otfried Preußler was working on another book. He felt a bit stuck and decided to write something fun instead. He chose to write a traditional clown story. These stories usually have characters like a clown (Kasperl), a friend (Seppel), a Grandmother, a robber, a police officer, and a wizard.

Preußler named the robber "Hotzenplotz" after a town. This town is called Hotzenplotz in German and Osoblaha in Czech. The name stuck in Preußler's mind from his childhood. The first book came out in 1962.

The first Hotzenplotz story was a huge hit! Preußler only planned to write one book. But children loved it so much. They sent him letters with ideas for new adventures. Because of their requests, he wrote a second book seven years later.

Later, readers wrote to him again. They wanted to know what happened to a dog named Wasti. Wasti had been accidentally turned into a crocodile in the second book. He wasn't changed back at the end. So, Preußler wrote a third book. He made sure this story had a clear ending. He also said it would be his last clown tale.

Story Summaries

The Robber Hotzenplotz's First Adventure

The clever robber Hotzenplotz attacks Kasperl's Grandmother. He steals her special coffee grinder. This grinder is very important to her. Kasperl and Seppel gave it to her. It even plays her favorite song!

Kasperl and Seppel decide to catch Hotzenplotz themselves. They don't think the police officer, Alois Dimpfelmoser, can do it. They buy a wooden box. They fill it with sand. The box has a tiny hole at the bottom. They plug the hole with a match.

They carry the box into the forest. They pretend it's full of gold. Hotzenplotz quickly appears and takes the box. Kasperl and Seppel pull out the match. They then hide safely. Hotzenplotz thinks the box has gold. He takes it to his secret hideout. There, he finds only sand. He also sees the sand trail. It leads right to his hidden spot!

Hotzenplotz realizes their trick. He spreads a second sand trail. Kasperl and Seppel see it. They decide to split up. They swap hats to confuse Hotzenplotz. But Hotzenplotz catches them one by one.

Kasperl pretends to be silly. He keeps saying Hotzenplotz's name wrong. Hotzenplotz gets annoyed. He sells Kasperl to the wizard Petrosilius Zwackelmann. Meanwhile, Seppel has to work for Hotzenplotz. Hotzenplotz even throws Kasperl's hat into the fire.

Zwackelmann needs someone to peel his potatoes. He can't do it with magic. Kasperl keeps acting foolish. Zwackelmann thinks Kasperl is too dumb to learn his magic secrets. At night, Kasperl tries to escape. But he finds he can't leave the castle grounds. Zwackelmann has put a curse on them.

One day, Zwackelmann visits a friend. He leaves Kasperl alone. Kasperl hears crying. He follows the sound to the basement. He finds a toad in a pond. The toad can talk! It's the fairy Amaryllis. Zwackelmann turned her into a toad. She asks Kasperl to find a special plant. It's called the fairy herb. It only grows in one place during moonlight. She also tells him how to break the castle's curse. He needs to leave a piece of his clothing behind. Kasperl leaves Seppel's hat. He then goes to find the fairy herb.

Zwackelmann returns and sees Kasperl is gone. He searches the grounds. He finds Seppel's hat. He uses a magic spell on the hat. He wants Kasperl to appear. Instead, the real Seppel shows up! Seppel was cleaning one of Hotzenplotz's boots. Zwackelmann uses the boot to summon Hotzenplotz. He scolds Hotzenplotz for burning Kasperl's hat. Now he can't get Kasperl back! They argue. Zwackelmann turns Hotzenplotz into a bullfinch. He puts him in a cage. Then he leaves to find Kasperl.

Kasperl returns with the fairy herb. The herb makes him invisible. He goes into the basement easily. The herb turns the toad back into the fairy. Just then, Zwackelmann returns. He finds Kasperl in the basement. Zwackelmann is shocked. He drops his wand. As he tries to grab it, he falls into the pond and dies.

Amaryllis is thankful. She gives Kasperl a ring with three wishes. Seppel and the bird-Hotzenplotz are found. Amaryllis destroys Zwackelmann's castle. She then returns to the fairy world. Kasperl and Seppel go home. They use two wishes. They get Kasperl's hat back. They also get Grandmother's coffee grinder. Now, it plays her song as a duet! They take the bird-Hotzenplotz to Dimpfelmoser. They use the last wish to turn him back into a human. Hotzenplotz is arrested. He is locked in the local firehouse.

New Adventures with the Robber Hotzenplotz

Hotzenplotz pretends to have a stomach ache. He tricks Dimpfelmoser. He takes Dimpfelmoser's uniform. He escapes from the firehouse. Hotzenplotz plans to get back at Kasperl and Seppel. He wants to make them give him the reward money. He puts on the uniform. He finds Grandmother, who can't see well. He eats the dinner she made for Kasperl and Seppel. Then he reveals who he is. Grandmother faints!

Kasperl and Seppel go to the firehouse. They want to check on Hotzenplotz. They find Dimpfelmoser asking for help. At first, they don't believe him. But then they find out what happened to Grandmother. They go back to the firehouse. They free Dimpfelmoser.

Dimpfelmoser puts on a spare uniform. He, Kasperl, and Seppel try to trick Hotzenplotz. They use a fake treasure map. Hotzenplotz discovers their trick. He locks them in the firehouse! But they escape. They use the fire truck to break through the walls.

Meanwhile, Hotzenplotz goes back to Grandmother's house. He kidnaps her! He takes her to his hideout. She is forced to be his housekeeper. Dimpfelmoser, Kasperl, and Seppel find a letter from Hotzenplotz. He demands the reward money. Kasperl and Seppel must bring the money alone.

Dimpfelmoser wants to watch them. He visits Mrs. Schlotterbeck. She is a local widow and a fortune teller. He uses her crystal ball to watch the money exchange.

Kasperl and Seppel give Hotzenplotz the money. But Hotzenplotz takes them prisoner too! Dimpfelmoser gets angry. He accidentally breaks the crystal ball. It stops working for a while. To find Hotzenplotz's hideout, Mrs. Schlotterbeck lends Dimpfelmoser her dog, Wasti. Wasti was a dachshund. But Mrs. Schlotterbeck once tried magic. She accidentally turned Wasti into a crocodile! Wasti leads Dimpfelmoser to Hotzenplotz's cave. Wasti's scary look frightens Hotzenplotz. He gives up himself and his prisoners.

They return triumphantly. Hotzenplotz is sent to a bigger prison. Grandmother cooks a big dinner for everyone. It includes sauerkraut and bratwurst!

Hotzenplotz 3: A Change of Heart?

Hotzenplotz is released from prison. He has been well-behaved. He decides to stop being a thief. He visits Kasperl's and Seppel's grandmother. He wants to say sorry for his past actions. But Grandmother doesn't trust him. She locks him in her closet!

Alois Dimpfelmoser arrives. He is now a chief inspector. He releases Hotzenplotz. There's no proof of new crimes. Hotzenplotz also has an official letter. It confirms his release from prison. But Dimpfelmoser wants to keep an eye on him. He visits Mrs. Schlotterbeck with Kasperl and Seppel. They use her crystal ball to spy on Hotzenplotz.

They watch him get rid of his gunpowder and weapons. He throws them away from his hideout. But night falls. The crystal ball turns dark. They can't see everything.

Dimpfelmoser asks Mrs. Schlotterbeck to watch Hotzenplotz at sunrise. Kasperl and Seppel go out to catch Hotzenplotz. They think he plans new crimes. On their way, they set a trap. They tie a sandbag to a tree. They stretch a rope across the ground. If someone touches the rope, the sandbag falls. Seppel tests the trap. It works perfectly! The sandbag falls on his head. He passes out. Luckily, Hotzenplotz arrives. He helps Seppel wake up with his snuff.

Finally, Hotzenplotz convinces Kasperl and Seppel. He proves he wants to be honest. He sets all his gunpowder on fire. After the explosion, they bury his weapons in the swamp. Then, the three sit around a campfire. They enjoy a "robber meal" Hotzenplotz made. They talk about Hotzenplotz's future. He doesn't know what to do. He only knows how to be a robber.

Kasperl and Seppel start walking home as night begins. Hotzenplotz walks with them to the edge of town. There, they find a "Wanted" poster for Hotzenplotz. It has a recent date. Hotzenplotz is accused of breaking Mrs. Schlotterbeck's window. He is also accused of stealing her crystal ball. Kasperl and Seppel hide Hotzenplotz at Grandmother's house. They want to prove he is innocent.

The next day, they go to Mrs. Schlotterbeck's house. They want to solve the case. They find out Dimpfelmoser is looking for them. He is using Wasti, the long-haired dachshund. Wasti was accidentally turned into a crocodile by Mrs. Schlotterbeck.

Kasperl and Seppel find the crystal ball. It's in Wasti's dog house! Wasti thought it was a pumpkin. They then realize why two pumpkins are missing from Grandmother's garden. Hotzenplotz didn't steal them. Kasperl and Seppel gave them to Wasti! They didn't know Grandmother counted them. They were special pumpkins that needed special care.

Kasperl and Seppel return to Grandmother's house. They want to free Hotzenplotz and prove he's innocent. But they only find a letter from Hotzenplotz. He says he's going to the United States. He wants to become a gold digger.

Kasperl and Seppel want to find Hotzenplotz. They need Wasti's help. So, they must find Dimpfelmoser first. Dimpfelmoser was led by Wasti to the swamp. This is where Kasperl and Seppel buried Hotzenplotz's weapons. Dimpfelmoser is about to sink! Luckily, Kasperl and Seppel arrive just in time to save him.

They tell Dimpfelmoser that Wasti took the crystal ball. They explain that Hotzenplotz is innocent. After explaining, Kasperl and Seppel send Dimpfelmoser home. They start searching for Hotzenplotz with Wasti. They find Hotzenplotz in the high heath. This is where the fairy herb grows. They convince Hotzenplotz to stay.

While they talk, Wasti smells the fairy herb. The herb helps Wasti change back! He becomes his old self, a long-haired dachshund. Mrs. Schlotterbeck then invites everyone to a party. She looks into the crystal ball for Hotzenplotz. She sees that he will open a tavern. It will be called "The Robber's Den."

It's interesting that in Hotzenplotz 3, Preußler changes the usual robber story. He shows the robber as an innocent person. Hotzenplotz has to hide from the police.

Other Versions of the Stories

Movies

In 1967, the Augsburger Puppenkiste made a TV puppet show of the story. In 1974, a movie called The Robber Hotzenplotz came out. Gustav Ehmck directed it. Gert Fröbe played Hotzenplotz. In 1979, the second movie, News from Hotzenplotz, was released. It had a new cast.

In 1989, a Chinese version of The Robber Hotzenplotz was made. It was a puppet movie. It was called “The big robber” (chin. 大盗贼). In 2006, another movie of The Robber Hotzenplotz came to theaters. Gernot Roll directed it.

Puppet Shows

Many puppet theaters have performed the Hotzenplotz stories. Here are a few:

• De Poppenspeeler (Kurt Seiler, Hannover)
• Augsburger Puppenkiste (Walter Oehmichen, Augsburg)
• Die Hohnsteiner (Harald Schwarz, Essen)
• Figurentheater Köln (Andreas Blaschke, Köln)
• Kammerpuppenspiele (Stefan Kühnel, Bielefeld)
• Puppentheater Luna (Rudi Piesk, Hörlitz)

Stage Plays and Opera

• The theater group Wuppertal performed Der Räuber Hotzenplotz. This was a family show in 2017/18.
• Composer Andreas Tarkmann created a children's opera. It first played in 2009 in Aachen.
• The group Showcase Beat Le Mot made a performance for children aged 6 and up. It first played in March 2007 in Berlin.

Book Editions

All the original German books were published by Thienemann publishing.

• Der Räuber Hotzenplotz, 1962.
• Neues vom Räuber Hotzenplotz, 1969.
• Hotzenplotz 3, 1973.