History of Vecernicek

1964 saw the introduction on Czechoslovak Television of very short bedtime stories for children using animation and puppets. Then in 1968 the real Vecernicek, created by artist Radek Pilar, director Vaclav Bedrich and composer Milan Kymlicka, came to the screen. The fairytale begins every evening at 7 o'clock with a catchy signature tune and a little boy on the stairs, in his car, on his wooden horse, and on his bike, appearing to the children every evening saying good evening at the beginning of the programme and good night at the end before they go to bed. The voice that has been saying good night to millions of television viewers for 43 years is that of Michal Citavy.

The series comprises a total of 150 seven-minute bedtime stories based on classic and original fairytales specially interpreted for Vecernicek.

Up until 1990 the "Kratky film" (Short Film) Prague was the only company, which produced animated films in the entire country. Animators made their cartoons in the "Bratri v triku" studio and puppet films were made in Jiri Trnka's studio. Jiri Trnka, world-renowned painter and puppet-master, was director of this, the first animated film studio. These studios produced first-rate series such as Bob and Bobby, Top Hat Rabbits, The Maxidog Fik, Fairytales from the Moss and Fern, Mach and Sebestova. After the Velvet Revolution, Czech Television continued to collaborate with the traditional studios, while at the same time collaborating with new, private, small studios such as Anifilm, Anima, Via Lucis, Art and Animation, AiF, Hafan Film and others. Indeed over the past 10 years Czech Television has become the main producer of animation in the Czech Republic. In fact, the survival to date of this gem of Czech culture is largely thanks to the significant funding provided by Czech Television for animation production.

Vecernicek also boasts some very popular drama series such as the Krkonose Tales and Vaclav Chaloupek's wild animal series including Little Rover, Striped Friends, Boys from the Castle and his latest series, The Little Bears, which was broadcast in January and February 2001. This series was a fantastic success. Czech Television organised an art competition to run hand in hand with the series and received 30,000 entries from children around the country who sent in their pictures of their little heroes - the little bears. Vaclav Chaloupek is now working on a new wild animal series in which the hero will be a young otter.

Czech Television has just started working on a co-production with Finnish Television - YLE and Studio Cagliostro in Finland. This is a puppet series based on gypsy fairytales called Mire Bala Kale Him.

Vecernicek has established a strong position on the European television market, with Czech Television's traditional customers in all of the post-communist countries as well as most European countries. Major customers include German, Scandinavian and Swiss television stations. The series has also travelled further afield to Arab and Asian countries but has unfortunately yet to reach television screens in Britain and Ireland.

Czech Television is also working in close collaboration with the animation departments of FAMU (The Film Academy of the Performing Arts) in Prague and UMPRUM (The College of Applied Arts). After graduation some of these students then go on to work in the area of children's animation.

You could say that Vecernicek is part of traditional Czech culture. To generations of Czech people Vecernicek represents a part of their cultural heritage and indeed represents part of their national identity.