Ampelmännchen: Difference between revisions

The Ampelmännchen proved so popular that parents and teachers initiated the symbol to become part of road safety education for children in the early 1980s.<ref name=peglau /> The East German Ministry of the Interior had the idea to bring the two traffic light figures to life and turn them into advisors. Die Ampelmännchen were introduced with much media publicity. They appeared in strip cartoons, also in situations without traffic lights. The red Ampelmännchen appeared in potentially dangerous environments, and the green Ampelmännchen was an advisor. Together with the ''[[Junge Welt]]'' publishing company, games with the Ampelmännchen were developed. Ampelmännchen stories were developed for radio broadcasts.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Vierjahn |first=Margarethe |chapter=Verkehrserziehung für Kinder |pages=28–30 |title=Das Buch vom Ampelmännchen |year=1997 }}</ref> Partly animated Ampelmännchen stories with the name ''Stiefelchen und Kompaßkalle'' were broadcast once a month as part of the East German children's bedtime television programme ''[[Sandmännchen]]'', which had one of the largest viewing audiences in East Germany.<ref name=stiefelchen /> The animated ''Ampelmännchen'' stories raised international interest, and the Czech festival for road safety education films awarded ''Stiefelchen und Kompaßkalle'' the ''Special Award by the Jury'' and the ''Main Prize for Overall Accomplishments'' in 1984.<ref name=stiefelchen>{{Cite book|last=Rochow |first=Friedrich |chapter=Stiefelchen und Kompaßkalle |pages=32–41 |title=Das Buch vom Ampelmännchen |year=1997}}</ref>

 

[[File:Ampelmaennchen Pan.jpg|thumb|Pan-German Ampelmännchen in Chemnitz]]

[[File:Ampelmaenchen Berlin.jpg|thumb|Ampelmännchen in Berlin]]

 

 

Markus Heckhausen, a graphic designer from the West German city of [[Tübingen]] and founder of Ampelmann GmbH in Berlin,<ref name=dw2 /> had first noticed the Ampelmännchen during his visits to East Berlin in the 1980s. When he was looking for new design possibilities in 1995, he had the idea to collect dismantled Ampelmännchen and build lamps. But he had difficulty finding old Ampelmännchen and eventually contacted the former VEB Signaltechnik (now Signaltechnik Roßberg GmbH) regarding their excess stock. The company was still producing Ampelmännchen, and liked Heckhausen's marketing ideas. The public embraced Heckhausen's first six lamp models. Local newspapers published full-page articles, followed by articles in national newspapers and designer magazines. The successful German daily [[Soap opera]] ''[[Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten]]'' used the Ampelmännchen lamp in their coffeehouse set.<ref name=fruehling/> Designer Karl Peglau explained the public reaction in 1997: