Mainzelmännchen

The Mainzelmännchen are six mischievous cartoon characters who serve as mascots for the German public service television broadcaster ZDF. They first appeared on television in 1963 as a way to accommodate a government regulation disallowing confusion between advertising and content. The cartoon characters served as a transition between the two, appearing in between ads during broadcast in roughly three to five second clips. The Mainzelmännchen are quite popular across Germany and have even been featured in radio dramas, children's books, and numerous other kinds of merchandise. The series also aired in the United Kingdom on BBC TWO from 1964 until 1999. In addition to Germany and the United Kingdom, the Mainzelmännchen have been aired in countries all over the world, including Sweden, the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Peru, Croatia, Iceland, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, Romania, Finland, Japan, Norway, Spain, France, Israel, Hungary, Canada, Australia, and South Korea. So if you're ever in Germany or any of the other countries where the Mainzelmännchen are aired, be sure to keep an eye out for these six mischievous cartoon characters!