10 children’s serial films from the countries of the socialist camp, which children in the USSR watched with pleasure

There was a lot of wonderful children’s programs (both entertaining and very educational) in the Soviet Union.

And excellent children’s films were also shown almost every day: most often just at the time when the children who had finished the first shift were returning from school.

What a pleasure it is to come running from the lessons, throw the briefcase into a corner, turn on the TV (it doesn’t matter if it’s color or even black and white) and watch, with your mouth open, how the red-haired Dunno proves to everyone around that wizards exist; how the brave Gerda saves Kai; how old Hottabych and Volka travel on a flying carpet…

But the best films and fairy tales were, of course, multi-part (simply because they could be enjoyed longer): remember, at least, beloved by the majority “Guest from the Future”, or “Petrova and Vasechkin”, “Adventures of Electronics”, “In searching for Captain Grant”, “Makar the Pathfinder”.

And sometimes on TV they showed “not our” films for children and teenagers: Hungarian, Yugoslav, Polish, Czech. Oh yeah! It was a real holiday! Because, after all, the cinema of Eastern European countries was a little different: unusual, strange, often brighter than ours.

And somewhere else, in the background, we saw old houses with tiled roofs, and even real stone castles – something that we did not have anywhere except the Baltics. It was creepy how interesting and unusual!

And let’s remember together at least 10 “those same” children’s series from the countries of the socialist camp, which we once watched with great pleasure?

10 Pot and Potato Nose (Hungary, 1978)

The Hungarian mini-series “The Pot and the Nose with Potatoes” in the genre of family comedy is poorly remembered in our country: firstly, because it was shown on television only 2 times – in 1982 and in 1985; and secondly, 4 full-length episodes were reduced for demonstration in the USSR to short ones – 23 minutes each.

In addition, this film was designed for the younger age category (up to about 10 years).

Nevertheless, a kind, touching, in some places, of course, very naive series about how an ordinary kid created a real backyard circus studio and managed to “win over his audience” evokes the warmest memories.

9. Haunted Vacation (Poland, 1970)

But the Polish “Haunted Holidays” – the film is clearly not for kids. In 7 half-hour episodes, it tells how three bosom friends (Perlko, Mickey and Pica – that is, Pearl, Mandarin and Picador), who came to the village for a vacation, next to which there is an almost completely destroyed old fortress, not believing in local rumors about the ghosts living there, trying to uncover its secret.

And then one night they see a very strange person (or is it not a person?) Not far from the ruins. So what’s going on there?

What if not ghosts are hiding in the ruins of the fortress, but real robbers (or, worse, spies)? And isn’t it worth getting out of this dark story as soon as possible?

8. Pan Self-propelled gun and the Templars (Poland, 1971)

Another Polish series about brave and restless boys. Pan Samohodik is actually a historian and traveler Tomasz, who got his nickname because he travels everywhere in his favorite “all-terrain” car, looks for various interesting objects from the distant past and studies historical mysteries.

And in this five-episode film, Self-propelled, with the help of three local boys, is trying to find the legendary treasure that the Knights Templar allegedly left. And they have already figured out the password that will help find the “cache” of the Templars: “Treasure is where your heart is.”

But then a strange company intervenes in their search: a beautiful foreign woman, her father and their Polish companion. They clearly do not want to share the mysterious treasure with anyone and will do anything to take possession of it.

By the way, the beautiful villain in the film is played by none other than Eva Shikulska – the Frenchwoman Polina Goble from “The Star of Captivating Happiness”, and the Self-propelled Gun – Stanislav Mikulsky – Captain Hans Kloss from “Stakes more than life”.

7. Twins’ Pranks (Poland, 1978)

Much less mysterious, but very funny 6-episode series about Tomek and Tosa – twins who decided to switch places for a while. By the way, the roles of the clever Tosya and the tomboy Tomek were not played by the twins at all, but by the weather Anna and Wojciech Sieniawski. They are indeed very similar.

So, the story begins with the fact that for another hooliganism, the father wants to send Tomek to a stern uncle in the village – for re-education. Tomek, of course, is not at all enthusiastic about this prospect, especially since he has a swimming competition on his nose.

And when his uncle comes for him, instead of Tomek, Tosya goes to the village, dressed in her brother’s clothes. But the problem is that Tosya herself had to go to other relatives. And Tomek has to dress up in her dress, so as not to reveal the deception and frame his sister.

Tikhon Tosa has to involuntarily participate in the village boys’ undertakings (of which, of course, she is horrified), and Tomek in a dress drives local hooligans with a slingshot. Of course, this cannot go on for long.

6. Academy of Asylum Klyaksi (Poland, 1983)

It seems that you will also remember Pan Klyaksu and his magical academy without difficulty. One of the main characters is the boy Adam Neskladushka (that is, the “Loser”), who loves to read most of all, receives an invitation to the same fabulous academy where Professor Pan Klyaksa teaches inkblot writing, the language of plants and animals, and other unusual disciplines.

Together with other inquisitive guys (they all have names starting with A), Adam learns to have interesting and vivid dreams and do good deeds. The study is very fun: the guys dance, sing, fly, chat with a talking starling, dine with colored glass and easily travel from fairy tale to fairy tale.

But one day a very strange boy (who turns out to be a malevolent doll) enters the academy. He was deliberately thrown here to force Pan Klyaksa to close his fabulous educational institution. By the way, the ending of the film is rather sad (if not to say unfair), but in 1986 a much more optimistic (but also more serious) sequel was released: “The Journey of Pan Klyaksa”.

5. Pan Tau (Czechoslovakia-FRG, 1970-1978)

The charming wizard in a bowler hat, Pan Tau, did not talk much, but he could create any necessary items “out of nothing”, helped children solve both personal and family problems, and performed many other miracles. He simply made a gesture with his hand over his bowler hat and snapped his fingers, and all childish wishes immediately came true.

Pan Tau always appeared at the most necessary moment, and he, a real idol and protector of the children, easily solved all problems. Do you really feel sorry for the live carp that dad bought for the Christmas table?

Pan Tau touches the pot, and the carp will scream in a human voice at dad, who has come with a hammer to deal with him and put him in the oven: “Don’t touch Albertik! Put that thing down now!” Funny? Of course! And how much fun (everyone, except for the taken aback dad). And the carp will be lowered into the hole tomorrow.

In the USSR, all 3 seasons (33 episodes) were shown, and the yards were really empty when the next one was on TV.

4. We are all school goers (Czechoslovakia, 1984)

Another very kind family film (of 13 episodes). But it is no longer for children, but rather for teenagers in high school, because there are no wizards, no ghosts, or other mysterious phenomena, but there are ordinary everyday and personal joys and, of course, the problems of boys and girls studying in the same Czech secondary school (as well as their parents, teachers and pioneer leaders – yes, there were also pioneers in Czechoslovakia).

Two high school girlfriends lied because they want to go to good educational institutions after school, but their studies are not very good, because, firstly, both girls are in love, and besides, one of them has parents here- here they get divorced.

Serious Lubos is trying to protect his younger brother – a very kind and naive first-grader ginger Jirka – from knowing that Jirka, it turns out, is an adopted child.

The young teacher Michal Karfik frankly cares for the pioneer leader Jana (and all the high school students are in the know, and even try to help Michal get Jana’s attention). All the characters in the film were very “real”, they wanted to sincerely empathize and sympathize.

3. Arabella (Czechoslovakia, 1979-1981)

And this long (also 13 episodes) and bright fairy tale with very unexpected plot twists is remembered, perhaps, by all children of the 1980s – early 1990s. It all starts with the fact that Pan Mayer, who works on television (who dreams of hosting a children’s program about fairy tales), accidentally finds a magic bell. At the ringing of the bell, the magician Rumburak suddenly appears, who is obliged to fulfill any desire of Pan Mayer.

And then events begin to gain momentum: Pan Mayer enters the land of fairy tales and accidentally kills the only talking wolf. Rumburak (well, who else?) turns out to be “extreme” – magical attributes are taken away from him, and he himself is turned into a wolf. With the help of Baba Yaga, he returns his appearance and begins to take revenge.

It turns out that Rumburak has long dreamed of capturing the land of fairy tales and becoming its king by marrying the beautiful princess Arabella. Then the king sends the court sorcerer Pan Vigo, and with him Arabella and her sister Xenia to our world to Pan Mayer. Like, since the whole story was brewed because of him, let him now help to return everything to its place.

As a result, Arabella falls in love with the son of Pan Mayer Peter (and this is mutual!) and decides to stay with him. And the fairy-tale heroes, with the help of Gonzik and Marzhenka (Pyotr’s younger brother and sister, who voluntarily fled into the fairy tale), are trying to defeat Rumburak.

Since the series turned out to be very successful (both for Czech and Soviet children), two of its sequels were released in 1985 and 1993: the three-episode Rumburak and as many as 26 half-hour episodes of Arabella Returns, or Rumburak – King of the Land of Fairy Tales.

2. Vacation Adventures (Czechoslovakia, 1978)

After the premiere of “Adventures in the Holidays” took place on Soviet television in June 1984 (out of the original short 13 episodes, 4 long ones were specially made), they began to actively play “Maika” in all yards.

The series told about how once ordinary Slovak boys, who set up their own “headquarters” in the forest near the town of Chabovets (in the High Tatras), found a strange girl who can fly, walk on water and clone any objects using a simple device, which she wore in her belt buckle.

As it turned out, Maika (as the amazing guest introduced herself) came from the planet Gurun. Thanks to her new friends, she gradually begins to understand the world of people, understand human emotions and experience affection and even love. Of course, when adults find out about Mike, journalists and some mysterious special services begin to be interested in her.

The film is very bright, funny, with excellent humor, so many people remember it in detail until now (including a cheerful intro song).

1. Octopuses from the Second Floor (Czechoslovakia, 1986)

And another long-running Czech children’s film that caused an almost total “epidemic” of “octopus” games. God, how much blue and green plasticine was turned into its main characters – strange creatures extracted from the depths of the ocean by a scientific expedition and escaped from scientists from ship to shore.

Here, on a sandy beach, they were found by Gonzik and Eva, a brother and sister who came with their parents on vacation. It was they who blinded two charming octopuses from incomprehensible “cake-like” pieces with the eyes – Blue and Green.

As it turned out, these amazing creatures are able to accumulate energy, adore salt and learn quickly (for example, after a couple of days they began to talk, and a little later – to read books, while “erasing” the lines they read).

Gonzik and Eva, of course, take their strange pets with them to Prague, and Blue and Green begin to settle into the city. They have the best intentions: they try to help their young friends, who “saved” them from scientists, in everything.

But, since they don’t quite understand human relations and habits, they regularly arrange small “catastrophes” (for example, having overheard the quarrel between Gonzik and Eva’s parents, the octopuses “help” them divide the property by cutting all the furniture in two, and throwing my mother’s piano out the window, like “wanted” dad).

By the way, the four-episode “Octopusses from the Second Floor”, which had a truly phenomenal success, has a two-episode sequel: “Octopuses wish you a Merry Christmas” (released in 1987).