“New stories from Pumuckl”
The differences between the new series and the original
This time Pumuckl is supported by Florian Eder (Florian Brückner).
© RTL / NEUESUPER
From December 11th you can see “New Stories from Pumuckl” on RTL+. What makes the new series different from the original?
The Pumuckl is back: The goblin with the red hair will be seen in a series again. From December 11th there are 13 episodes of “New Stories from Pumuckl” available on RTL+ (from December 25th as a free TV premiere on RTL). Loyal fans of the original series from the 1980s have to prepare for some new features in addition to well-known details.
The Pumuckl celebrated its 60th birthday on February 21, 2022. In 1962, Bayerischer Rundfunk broadcast the first episode of the radio play series “Haunted in the Workshop”. In addition to the radio play, the story of Pumuckl has been published in a variety of ways. The first season of the television series “Master Eder and his Pumuckl” ran in 1982 and 1983, season two in 1988 and 1989. The series about the cult goblin was shown in 28 countries. In addition, films, books, a musical and, in 1999, another less successful TV series, “Pumuckl’s Adventure”, were created. The Pumuckl was invented by Ellis Kaut (1920-2015). The children’s book author, who moved from Stuttgart, quickly became a local celebrity thanks to her popular character in Munich.
“I think everyone associates a very special feeling with Pumuckl. And I wanted to recreate that feeling,” explains Korbinian Dufter, producer and head author of “New Stories from Pumuckl,” in an RTL announcement. It was an honor to “receive the trust of the Pumuckl heirs and to be able to bring Pumuckl back to life.” The Munich film production company Neuesuper was faced with the great challenge of doing justice to the original, but having to work with the new circumstances compared to the original production.
Roles and content
As is well known, Pumuckl includes Master Eder, the owner of a carpenter’s workshop in a Munich back yard. The amiable bachelor in his early 60s, to whose glue pot the red-haired goblin got stuck, was portrayed by Gustl Bayrhammer (1922-1993). For the 13 new episodes, a new master Eder had to be found together with director Marcus H. Rosenmüller (50). The role of Master Eder’s nephew, Florian, ultimately went to Florian Brückner (born 1984).
Together with his sister Bärbel (Ina Meling, 42), Florian inherited his uncle’s old carpentry workshop. This has been empty for a long time and is now to be sold. But a fateful encounter changes everything: Pumuckl gets stuck to the glue pot again, becomes visible to Florian and, as the goblin law says, now has to stay with Master Eder’s nephew. Florian quits his job, moves into the workshop and renovates it. The Pumuckl is quickly back in his element and plays all sorts of practical jokes. The makers have already announced that the death of old master Eder will not be ignored, but will be told “about dying and mourning in a child-friendly way from Pumuckl’s perspective.”
Other cast members and guests announced include Milan Peschel (55), Max von Thun (46), Eko Fresh (40), Ilse Neubauer (81), Katharina Thalbach (69) and Teresa Rizos (37).
voice and appearance
The little goblin can thank Barbara von Johnson (80) for Pumuckl’s appearance. The German illustrator and artist is the first designer of the redhead; she illustrated Ellis Kaut’s Pumuckl stories from 1963 to 1978. The animated animation for the original series was handled by an animation studio in Budapest.
The animation work on the new Pumuckl character took over a year in a Ludwigsburg animation studio. “Pumuckl is Pumuckl. He doesn’t age or change. That’s why we decided on a 2D figure,” explains Korbinian Dufter. The only thing that is new is that Pumuckl is casting shadows through “careful modernization”.
His voice is crucial to Pumuckl’s character. The original was Hans Clarin (1929-2005). The actor and voice actor lent his unmistakable voice to the goblin for 40 years. He could be heard in the radio plays and also in the television series of the same name. The makers of the series were therefore faced with the challenge of doing justice to this performance.
With artificial intelligence, Clarin’s voice was finally made to sound again. To do this, Dufter contacted Clarins’ widow and his children. “Of course they were skeptical at the beginning, I would have been too,” says the producer. “Someone comes along who they don’t know and they not only want to revive Pumuckl, but also want to use AI to bring their father’s voice back to life.” After the makers showed them initial tests, they were convinced. “Hans Clarin was probably very enthusiastic about technology himself and was always very open to new things. His children told me that he would have really liked the idea that he could speak Pumuckl again.”
In addition, actor and cabaret artist Maxi Schafroth (born 1985) became Florian Brückner’s acting partner and lent the goblin his voice, which also served as a template for the animation with facial expressions and gestures. In the AI version, his voice is replaced by that of Hans Clarin. On RTL+, viewers can watch both versions with Schafroth and Clarin.
Filming location
The new episodes were created in Munich and the Munich area. The original location was no longer available: the famous carpentry shop was demolished after the second season of the old series. In order to bring the workshop and the backyard back to life, a scene was set up in an old industrial hall to show the old workshop true to scale.
The two-part documentary “From the Life of a Goblin” offers further details and a look behind the scenes of the series, which will also be available on RTL+ from December 11th.