Favourite Hungarian cartoons of our childhood – Part 2

There is still a lot to discover as far as Hungarian cartoons are concerned and the 2nd part of this series comes up with further popular cartoons that many of you missed from our previous article. Similarly to the previously mentioned cartoons, the following ones can also wake up nostalgic feelings, and hopefully, you can recall some of your childhood memories, too. Are you ready for a magical journey in the world of cartoons? 🙂

Who would not remember the iconic short cartoon of The Rabbit with Checkered Ears or the adventures of The Little Fox? These stories are very easy to fall in love with and difficult to forget. They are full of characters the appeal of which is enduring to this day and the lesson the cartoons teach is important to keep in mind even today. Still, as an adult, it is a great pleasure to rewatch some of their episodes or familiarise your kids with your beloved childhood cartoons. If you are interested in getting to know more about the ones mentioned above together with Waterspider-Wonderspider, Kukori and Kotkoda, and Mekk Elek, join us in a journey back in time!

1. Waterspider-Wonderspider

The Hungarian cartoon written by György Kertész was put onto the screen by Szabolcs Szabó, József Haui and Csaba Szombati Szabó and was broadcast between 1978-1988. Its main character is Vízipók (Waterspider), the diving bell spider, who lives in an underwater crystal castle. His best friends are the alga-picker sea snails, Ladybird, ants, bees, a bug and a weevil. As Origo.hu reports, the cartoon aimed to familiarise the kids with the world of insects and teach them not to be afraid of these creatures.

The story is about Vízipók, who, unlike other spiders, does not live in dusty corners, but in a magical underwater castle where it spins its web. His friend, the always grumpy and incredulous Cross-Spider, is very much amazed by this fact. However, by getting to know him better, he realises that only because someone is different, he should not make a judgement and Vízipók can be a decent spider. The story became so successful that it was translated into English, German, Czech, Polish and Arabic languages as well.

2. Kukori and Kotkoda

Ágnes Bálint wrote the story of the hen and the cock. As wikipedia.hu reports, the cartoon was inspired by a real-life event, which is the constant complaint of a colleague of the writer claiming that her husband is unwilling to do any kinds of housework. This is how Kukori, the lazy and idle cock, was born who always annoys Kotkoda. Another interesting fact related to the circumstances of the writing process is that the director of the cartoon, János Mata, decided to focus on a hen and a cock as protagonists because the characters have only two legs and therefore, he had to draw less. 🙂

Between 1971-1973, 26 episodes of the cartoon were broadcast. To sum up the simple story, Kukori and Kotkoda live in a happy marriage despite the fact that the laziness of Kukori very much annoys his wife. In fact, the husband only does any kinds of housework with much reluctance, be it weeding or dusting. His friend, Kopasznyakú, helps him avoid household chores, but in the end, the two friends always get the short end of the stick since Kotkoda starts to sermonise her husband.

3. The Rabbit with Checkered Ears

The few-minute-long episodes of the rabbit were written by Veronika Marék and were produced by Zsolt Richly. It was broadcast between 1977-1979, and within a short amount of time, the character became a prolific mascot of Hungarian animation.

In fact, this rabbit is endowed with a special power, which is to utilize its long ears as a propeller to fly in the air.