Line #44 Franchise/Pumuckl


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pumuckl_3901.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:This is the proof that reversing Munich's main church tower clock ''can'' actually make it onto the front page.]]
3
4	''Pumuckl'' is a German children's series, as well as the name of its kobold protagonist. Started as a radio series in 1961, and in the following decades, it got a book series, 33 records (for kids: what people had before [=CDs=]), three movies, three TV series, a kids magazine... and even a musical. It's about the kobold [a kind of mischievous brownie] Pumuckl, who lives in UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} in the workshop of Eder, an old joiner.
5
6	Some sites on the web about him are at http://www.pumuckl.de and http://www.pumucklhomepage.de.
7
8	Recurring Characters, besides the protagonist:
9
10	* ''Meister Eder'', the old, good-natured joiner in his pretty old workshop in a silent backyard in the middle of Munich.
11	* ''Stürzlinger'', the jerky, but docile concierge with a heavy dialect and deep voice, who believes the "''backyarders''" (including Eder) to be nuts.
12	* ''Frau Eichinger'', the fussy hausfrau, in her 60s and a superstitious christian.
13	* ''Frau Hartl'', the busybody, gossiping and enquiring neighbour of Eder. She is irritated by everything, and furthermore is the arch nemesis of Frau Eichinger.
14	* ''Schwertfeger'', an old friend of Eder; likes to walk his dog and owns an allotment.
15	* ''Wimmer'', an antiquary and restorer.
16	* Eder's companions at [[UsefulNotes/DerStammtisch the Stammisch]], naturally all craftsmen, with dialect and appropriate names:
17	** ''Bernbacher'', Eder's best friend and a locksmith; believes Eder to be crazy. Has a wife who wears a wig and is bothersome.
18	** ''Schmitt'', a mechanic.
19	** ''[[RunningGag An old guy]]'', who is asleep most of the time. Has to be woken by the waitress with the words, "Wake up, Grandpa. Your soup gets cold.", upon which he wakes up and nudges his benchmate with the words, "Hey, that's my spot!", even when there isn't anyone sitting next to him.
20	* The shrewd waitress in the local ''Wirtshaus (pub)''.
21	----
22	!! The ''Pumuckl'' series and franchise provides examples of:
23
24	* AccidentalMisnaming: It's a RunningGag that Eder's friend Bernbacher never gets the name of Pumuckl right.
25	* AesopAmnesia: Most lessons Pumuckl learns are forgotten by the beginning of the next episode.
26	* AntiHero: Pumuckl.
27	* BerserkButton: Try to bathe him, and he'll throw a temper tantrum. Also, don't confuse him with other small people from mythology - he's a ''kobold''.
28	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Pumuckl once stole all the i's from a page.
29	* CatchPhrase: "Oh, das reimt sich! Und was sich reimt, ist gut, haha!" (Oh, that rhymes! And anything that rhymes is good, haha!)
30	* CatsAreMean: Pumuckl hates and fears them, probably because he is small enough to be their ideal prey. For Eder, though, {{Everythings Cuter With Kittens}}, which makes for trouble when he takes one in out of the street in episode 21.
31	* CelibateHero: Eder has zero interest in romance, probably due to his age.
32	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Some people think Eder was this, when he talks with/about his Kobold. Of course, in this case TheCloudcuckoolanderWasRight.
33	* DoesNotLikeSpam: Pumuckl hates cheese (which he calls "foul milk").
34	* ElevenOClockNumber: There are many pumuckl episodes that end a different way you would have expected:
35	** In Episode 13 "Der erste Schnee" ("The first snow") Pumuckl realizes he has done something very bad when he threw all of the snow from a window to blame the 9-year-old Lothar who got grounded for that. Later he corrects the mistake by throwing the snow off from all windows to make sure the snow just fell by itself.
36	** In Episode 25 "Pumuckl und die Ostereier" ("Pumuckl and the easter eggs") Meister Eder wants to scold Pumuckl after he had hidden the eggs on different places Eder had usually put in, and that's not even all, he had also hidden things from Eder's niece Monika and her parents. But then Pumuckl brings all the stuff by himself and is so upset that Eder doesn't manage to be mad. Pumuckl also tells he had hidden another egg he hid in the house nobody was looking for. So they both seek for the egg together. They eventually found it after Eder sat on it.
37	** In Episode 39 "Pumuckl ist an gar nichts schuld" ("It's not Pumuckl's fault at all") Meister Eder constantly yells at Pumuckl as his machine stopped working and he can't do his assignment. As he realized it wasn't Pumuckl's fault at all and it was rather his fault he apologizes to the little Klabauter who had already planned to escape and got all his stuff together. Now Pumuckl makes Eder promise not to shout anymore. However, he breaks his promise very soon as his machine stops working once again, making him throw his biggest tantrum in the whole series even though this time he had a good reason. It turns out that the electricity got turned off. Now Eder has lost all hope, but then his sister calls him telling she got sick and can't pick up the closet as planned.
38	** In Episode 44 "Pumuckl geht ans Telefon" ("Pumuckl uses the telephone") Pumuckl first is unhappy that they can't go to the zoo at the next day because Eder has an important assignment at Professor Bergmaier's house. As Eder is gone, he goes to the telephone, eventually manages to speak to the professor and tells him that Eder can't come on the next day. As Eder finds out, he is not very happy having lost that big assignment and says they won't go to the zoo at all. However, then things turn right after Bergmaier calls Eder, having trouble finding a different carpenter. At this time Eder isn't there and Pumuckl first refuses to get on the phone but after about a minute of ringing he goes there and replies so the professor thinks Pumuckl is Eder's grandson. So everything turns right again.
39	** In Episode 45 "Pumuckl will Schreiner werden" ("Pumuckl wants to become a carpenter") Eder just returned from an assignment he did for the couple Windlechner. Then it turns out Pumuckl stole a pocket knife. Eder tells Pumuckl to return it immediatly which Pumuckl does.
40	** In Episode 50 "Pumuckl und die Plastikente" ("Pumuckl and the plastic duck") Pumuckl destroys his duck with a spoon and puts the blame on two 9-year-old boys who had just entered the workshop. As Eder returns, Pumuckl puts the blame on them. Eder believes him and scolds the boys, but then he finds out the truth. He first makes cynic comments about Pumuckl, before losing his temper and hitting the vat Pumuckl's duck was swimming into. Now all the water flows on the floor, making a huge moist mess. Then Pumuckl says he had never managed to do such a mess by himself and both start laughing. (In the audio version however Pumuckl gets punished)
41	* FriendToAllChildren: Pumuckl sympathizes with children, being much like one himself, while they are naturally more likely to believe in him (and enjoy his pranks) than adults are.
42	* GetOut: In episode 16, Eder evicts Pumuckl for stealing a customer's bracelet and then lying about it. Pumuckl leaves the house in tears and chooses Bernbacher as his new "target", but in the end, they miss each other too much to hold a grudge.
43	* TheGhost: ''Herr Wimmer'' is often mentioned but never personally appears aside being conversed with on the phone (where he still remains unheard).
44	* GilliganCut: Done very often when Eder says he is not going along with Pumuckl's requests and then does so in the next scene.
45	* IAmNotWeasel: He is a kobold, but definitely not a ''Heinzelmännchen'' (little people from German [[Literature/TheElvesAndTheCobbler fairy tales]] who come out at night and do household work).
46	* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: Eder's response when Pumuckl confuses the story of ''Literature/HanselAndGretel'' for real life and demands that the children be rescued. "I'm a carpenter, not a policeman!"
47	* {{Invisibility}}: Pumuckl is invisible, unless he gets caught by a human (which includes him getting stuck to a glue pot). The kobold laws state that Pumuckl has to stay with said human if this happens, which is how the series starts. Many stories are about Pumuckl being in danger of being seen by someone else but Eder, which would mean that he had to leave Eder.
48	* InvisibleJerkass: Pumuckl routinely uses his invisibility to play pranks and pester people, his reasoning being that petty mischief is a kobold's natural calling.
49	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Pumuckl can be quite obnoxious and selfish at times, but his heart is ultimately in the right place.
50	* KarmaHoudini: Pumuckl often goes unpunished for his antics.
51	* KindlyHousekeeper: Frau Eichinger. Even though her superstitions combined with Pumuckl's pranks strain her nerves to the limit, she takes care of Eder to the best of her ability.
52	* LimitedWardrobe: Pumuckl always wears a yellow shirt and green trousers.
53	%%* TheMovie: Several of them.
54	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Pumuckl gets that feeling sometimes an amount of time after doing a harsh prank; one example is in Episode 13 (as seen above). Eder also gets that in Episode 16 after he kicked Pumuckl out.
55	* NameAndName: The correct title is "Meister Eder und sein Pumuckl", strictly speaking.
56	* NeverMyFault: Pumuckl often denies his pranks at first, much to Eder's exasperation.
57	* NotSoImaginaryFriend: Only Eder can see Pumuckl (the only exception being when Pumuckl gets stuck somewhere).
58	* {{Oktoberfest}}: Set in Munich. Therefore it is well received among natives, as it loves to parody the various "''backyard stereotypes''" who reside in the old town of Munich.
59	* OnlySaneMan: The behavior of most characters is eccentric, to say the least. Curiously, Meister Eder who is always down-to-earth, is the one who is visited by a kobold.
60	* OurKoboldsAreDifferent: Pumuckl is a small, elf-like creature with bushy red hair and the power to turn invisible, lives in and old woodsmith's workshop and likes to [[ThePrankster play pranks on people]].
61	%%* ThePrankster: Pumuckl, of course.
62	%%* RhymesOnADime: All the time!
63	* RogerRabbitEffect: In the movies and series, except for the fully animated. Everything else is live action; Pumuckl is animated. While the live action parts were filmed in Germany, the animation was done in Hungary by Creator/PannoniaFilmStudio.
64	* ShoutOut: In the TV series.
65	** In one episode, Eder reads a book which has the same title as a ''Series/{{Tatort}}'' episode - [[ActorAllusion where his actor played the detective.]]
66	** Another episode has several Shout-outs to ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest'', including the music. Nice ParentalBonus.
67	** Yet another episode has a butler who repeatedly stumbles over the head of a tiger skin, just as in ''Theatre/DinnerForOne''.
68	** Finally, a man threatens Eder with a neon CCFL, which suddenly turns on - making it look like a [[Franchise/StarWars laser sword]].
69	* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: Once he gets angry and decides to make a poem that doesn't rhyme at all. He succeeds, but the trope almost gets subverted when not once, not twice, but three times the first word that comes to mind is something that ''does'' rhyme.
70	* TelevisionTieInMagazines: The franchise eventually spawned a kids' magazine with cut-out figurines of the characters, puzzles, and trivia of the series.
71	* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: Sometimes when they argue, Pumuckl and Eder get so angry that they sarcastically address each other by the formal "Sie" pronoun. When they make up, they revert to the more familiar "du".
72	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Chocolate! (OK, who doesn't?)
73	* WhaleEgg: While in the zoo (TV series only), Pumuckl found an ostrich's egg and thought it was an elephant's egg.
74	* YouAreGrounded: Standard punishment for Pumuckl: He's confined to a drawer. (Like those in a cupboard or so.)
75
76	!! The 1994 movie ''Pumuckl und der blaue Klabauter'' provides examples of:
77
78	* BeingEvilSucks: The titular Blue Klabauter, living invisibly on a cruise ship, has gotten sick of his own brooding company and wants a servant on whom to let out his moods.
79	* FriendOrIdolDecision: Pumuckl has to choose between learning magic from a talented, if nasty, member of his own species and going back to his human guardian.
80	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Karl-Heinz Bradtke, one of the cruise passengers carries a notebook to write down complaints about everything in sight, but he clearly loves his daughter, and he mellows considerably under the influence of Frau Riedinger.
81	* LoveTriangle: Martin the steward and Odessi the cook compete over the beautiful Carolin Bradtke.
82	* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Pumuckl, if the antagonist in this movie is anything to go by. The Blue Klabauter plays tricks on humans not for the joy of it, but because he genuinely hates them.
83	* OppositesAttract: Herr Bradtke and {{Blithe Spirit}} Frau Riedinger.
84	* ThePowerOfLove: Explicitly evoked by the little bed that Eder carved for Pumuckl in episode 2 of the TV series. [[spoiler: Eder sends it to Pumuckl via a friend's grandchildren, who stow away on board the ship. Pumuckl hides in the bed while running from the Blue Klabauter, who is furious to find that he cannot touch it.]]
85	* RetCon: While it had always been firmly established that Pumuckl could not leave Eder even if he had wanted to (due to "Kobold Law"), the 1994 movie ignored this so that Pumuckl could run away to make a river cruise on the Danube. [[spoiler: Also, he leaves Odessi, his new "master", to go back to Eder in the end.]]
86	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Kobolds can apparently talk to seagulls.
87	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Pumuckl's fear of the water is severely tested by the Blue Klabauter, who demands to see him jump in the ocean, to prove himself worthy of learning magic. [[spoiler: He nearly drowns, but Odessi saves him, and he (Pumuckl) comes back to give the Blue Klabauter a piece of his mind.]]

Context Franchise / Pumuckl