Thomas Funck facts for kids

Thomas Fredrik Georg Funck (born October 26, 1919 – died December 30, 2010) was a Swedish writer and voice actor. He was best known for creating the popular characters Charlie Strap and Froggy Ball. Thomas Funck was also a baron, which is a type of noble title. He was the brother of Hasse Funck and was married to Eva Funck. They had a son named Gustav.

Early Life and Creative Start

Thomas Funck began his career writing stories for adults. He often said he never had a regular job. In the 1940s, he mostly taught guitar lessons. He also played his own songs on Norwegian radio. Around this time, he started selling his stories. These stories were then read and performed on Swedish radio.

The World of Charlie Strap and Froggy Ball

The characters Charlie Strap and Froggy Ball first appeared on Swedish radio in the mid-1940s. At first, other actors played their voices. In the early 1950s, Thomas Funck started voicing Charlie Strap himself.

A big moment came in 1954. For the first time, Funck did all the voices for the show. He used only his guitar for sound effects. These radio shows became very popular.

Expanding the Stories

After the radio success, more adventures of Charlie Strap and Froggy Ball were created.

• Several music records were released, using the same style as the radio shows.
• A cartoon series was drawn by Nils Egerbrandt.
• From 1955, a series of books came out. These books had illustrations by Einar Norelius.

In 1956, a musical film called Charlie Strap, Froggy Ball and Their Friends was released. In this film, actors wore costumes and acted out the parts. Thomas Funck provided all their voices. Some parts of the movie also used stop-motion animation with dolls.

A Comeback for the Characters

After the 1950s, the characters seemed less popular for a while. But in the 1970s, they made a big comeback. They started appearing on the radio again.

Later, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, two new animated films were made. These films were produced and directed by Jan Gissberg.

Meet the Main Characters

Here are some of the fun characters from the stories:

• Charlie Strap – He is a grasshopper who wears a green tailcoat. In the animated films, his tailcoat is pink. Charlie often talks about himself in the third person. He is very neat and careful, almost a bit nervous. He carries an umbrella with a silver tip.
• Froggy Ball – A frog who is a bit rough but very kind. He speaks in a relaxed way, using a lot of slang. Froggy Ball usually wears a waistcoat, but in the animated films, he wears a shirt.
• Sheet-Niklas (also known as Tin Man) – This is a robot with amazing special abilities.
• The Hen – A good friend of Charlie Strap. She lives in a chicken coop.
• The Fox – A fox who can be a bit tricky and not always trustworthy. He speaks slowly and often pauses to laugh.
• The Parrot – A parrot who gets tired of staying in her cage. She prefers to join Charlie Strap and his friends on their adventures.

Film Appearances

Thomas Funck provided voices for these films:

• Kalle Stropp, Grodan Boll och deras vänner (Charlie Strap, Froggy Ball and Their Friends) (1956)
• Kalle Stropp och Grodan Boll räddar Hönan (Charlie Strap and Froggy Ball Save the Hen) (1987)
• Charlie Strapp and Froggy Ball Flying High (Kalle Stropp och Grodan Boll på svindlande äventyr) (1991)