Pumuckl, a lovable water sprite plucked from folkelore to become a popular German cartoon character is at the center of a legal battle over whether he can get a girlfriend or not:
Ellis Kaut, 86, who created Pumuckl 45 years ago, has taken out an injunction against her one-time friend, the designer Barbara von Johnson, who was responsible for the red-haired sprite’s transition from storybook hero to cartoon character.
Mrs von Johnson has spearheaded a competition at a Munich television station to design a spirited girlfriend for Pumuckl after viewers expressed their wish that he should finally have a mate. But Mrs Kaut said she objected because “Pumuckl is and always will be a descendant of the Klabauter, a type of spirit, [and] spirits don’t generally have a distinct sex life”. If he had a girlfriend, it would go against his literary character, she said.
Although looking at the little guy, he might seem like he needs some company, some fans were not as charitable, writing such things as “They can’t do that! Pumuckl CAN’T get married. He’s a spirit. Spirits don’t marry.” and “It could be the downfall of Pumuckl, as with many sitcoms, once the sexual tension is gone.”
We say he’s ready for love, and the fans should let him have it.
that’s so eerie!
I downloaded a few episodes of this cartoon yesterday to watch and now i find this article! He was a big hit in Greece and he is still a big pop reference in a lot of shows, although he goes by the name Frou-Frou in our country. it’s weird imagining him with a girlfriend since he has the mental age of kindergarten essentially :p
The only mate Pumuckl will ever need is Meister Eder
… I just squicked myself like you wouldn’t believe. My childhood!
Let him have his girlfriend, he´s so lonely in his joiner´s workshop. Since more than 40 years he has just one friend – Meister Eder. We don´t want Pumuckl to stay single for the rest of his life. We claim: sexual freedom for this sprite!