Janoschs Traumstunde

March 5, 2017 6:22 AM

Das kleine Krokodil - a gentle, 11-minute cartoon from the fondly-remembered German series Janoschs Traumstunde, good for a quiet Sunday morning. You can turn on good German subtitles or adequate automatically-translated English ones. The series ran for years, so there are plenty more if you like. There is nothing extreme, insane, or intense about any of it whatsoever.
posted by Wolfdog (11 comments total)

Not to be confused with Schnappi, das kleine krokodil, a painful earworm from the mid-2000s. The OP is much more mind-safe.
posted by delfin at 6:54 AM on March 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Oh, wie schön ist Panama is a lovely adaptation of the Janosch story from the little bear and little tiger series.

I've a soft spot for Janosch, as his stories were something that I stumbled through when trying to learn to read German, then came back to once I had a child myself and found that I could actually understand them this time.
posted by frimble at 7:11 AM on March 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Thanks. This will save our (German-speaking, kids-infested) household this rainy Sunday morning...
posted by The Toad at 8:38 AM on March 5, 2017

Awwwwwwwww.

I grew up on Janosch's books, and I can't even describe the impact he's had on my sense of language, storytelling, aesthetics, everything. I've never seen anybody be so subversive and cute and playful and smart at the same time. I hope those subtitles are good.
posted by kleinsteradikaleminderheit at 12:39 PM on March 5, 2017

delfin, and frimble, thank you both, because I immediately saw das kleine Krokodil and thought of Schnappi, started the video, got confused, and thought, "Wait, is this the same thing as Wie schoen ist Panama?" and then it wasn't.

We watched both Schnappi and Panama in my German classes in college, and my friend and I would *constantly* quote both of them at each other, so thanks for a nice little walk down memory lane.
posted by damayanti at 2:26 PM on March 5, 2017

Ooh, this is perfect for my German learning. Thanks!
posted by tickingclock at 7:12 PM on March 5, 2017

I hope those subtitles are good.

The auto translation for "Smetterlinge setzen sich auf seinen Schwanz und alles war schön" was amusing.

These are perfect for my German level.
posted by lastobelus at 12:17 AM on March 6, 2017

I've read many, many Janosch books to my kids and as my German improved and came to like them more and more. They're just fucking great. Sly and sweet and beautiful. They encourage good conversation, crazy ideas.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:14 AM on March 6, 2017

Oh, could it be? In grade 8 German class (1980) there was a very silly song called 'Wo ist die cocoschnüss?' that the teacher played and it's been in head ever since. I wonder if it came from this series?
posted by h00py at 5:59 AM on March 6, 2017

Is this your coconut song?
posted by Wolfdog at 7:00 AM on March 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

You are my hero.
posted by h00py at 1:31 PM on March 6, 2017