De Fabeltjeskrant

De fabeltjeskrant is a series about a whole bunch of animals. They were originally stories from the fables by Lafontaine, but they evolved to a series of their own. All the characters have their own little quirks, and they combine into a lively forest which is not unlike our world. As Meneer de Uil says in the intro: Animals are just like people, with the same human wishes, all of this is in the paper, in Fabeltjesland. The animals are all cute and their interaction is often funny, not just for kids, but for grown-ups too. The series actually spawned a new saying, still used today. When children go to sleep, a lot of parents say: oogjes dicht en snaveltjes toe, which means shut your eyes and close your beak. This is the last sentence of each episode.

The fabeltjeskrant was like, the show everyone watched and knew. It has been showed to a few generations, and you won't find a single Belgian or Dutch person who hasn't seen at least a minute of this show. I grew up with it, but so did my brothers, and that's not so normal since they are 8 and 12 years older than me, and we all enjoyed it. Now, reruns are being shown on some stations and I think it's one of the best shows for little children, even now you have really soffisticated ones, I assure you, they'll love it!

There can't be many Dutchmen or Flemings of a certain age who didn't grow up while watching at least part of the series. Words like "iconic" are thrown around too easily, but still : this is an iconic, era-defining series. Cute, funny and sweet, it glued children to the screen. Even today there are many middle-aged adults who can recite whole lines, recap whole episodes or sing / hum / whistle the theme music.

Much of its success was owed to the striking design of the various animal puppets. This design may look dated or old-fashioned to some eyes, but I happen to think it holds up rather well. And consider : it's hip to be square... Some of the series' expressions and catchfrases have entered Dutch language, such as the famous "oogjes dicht en snaveltjes toe" ("now close your little eyes and your little beaks"). As another reviewer already remarked, quite a lot of loving parents have used this sentence while making a young tot comfortable in his cot. Unsurprisingly, the series gave birth to numerous parodies and spoofs, even of a political nature.

Take it away, Mister Owl !