Kockásfülű nyúl

A Kockásfülű nyúl ("The rabbit with checkered ears") was the title of a 26-episode Hungarian animated children's series produced in 1978 in the studios of PannóniaFilm. Created by the acclaimed children's literature writer and graphic artist Veronika Marék and animator Zsolt Richly, its protagonist, the rabbit with checkered ears quickly became one of the most prolific mascots of Hungarian animation.

Format

At its debut the series ran every Saturday in the children's programming section of the then only Hungarian television channel, Magyar Televízió. The few-minute long episodes consisted of simple stories in which the rabbit with checkered ears helped one or more of the series' other main characters, four children called Kriszta (dark-haired girl), Menyus (red-haired boy), Kistöfi (blond toddler boy) and Mozdony (big bully) in various situations.

Legacy

The series was first syndicated in the countries around Hungary, and then in nearly ninety other countries around the world. Having no spoken dialogue, the episodes needed no dubbing, and the universal storylines were easily comprehendible, making the series adaptable in various countries.

The checkered-eared rabbit's fame rocketed in and around Hungary with the rise in popularity of retro not only in fashion and design but with the rediscovery of the qualities of Central Eastern Europe's pre-1980s culture. It also became somewhat sought after in the U.S., where it is often described as the "bunny in a suitcase" and recalled from its frequent broadcasts on the Pinwheel (TV series) cable program which appeared on the original Nickelodeon (TV channel). At the time of the original series, merchandising was an unknown term in Hungary, but with the return of the series (as well as other popular children's programmes of the seventies and eighties from the region) the rabbit can now be found on school accessories, pillows as well as in the form of plush toys.

In Hungary, 2002 and 2003 saw the release of two DVD sets of the series, each holding 13 of the 26 episodes.

References

* [http://www.marekveronika.hu/nyul.html Website of Veronika Marék on the premise of the series] (in Hungarian)
* [http://www.origo.hu/noilapozo/szuloknek/20011128kell.html Interview with Veronika Marék about the creation and legacy of the series] (in Hungarian)

External links

* [http://www.kockasfulu.hu/content_en.html# Kockásfülű's homepage (in English)]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133307 A Kockásfülű nyúl's entry on the International Movie Database]