“Krtek, the Czech cartoon mole known throughout communist Europe for decades, is seeking to break into the $21 billion U.S. toy market with the help of Apple Inc.,” Lenka Ponikelska reports for Businessweek.
“The launch of the stuffed-animal version of Krtek (pronounced Kir-teck) aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavour on this day last year spurred 22-year-old Czech student Karolina Milerova, the granddaughter of Krtek’s late creator, Zdenek Miler, to commission iPad and iPhone apps designed to entertain kids from Prague to Peoria,” Ponikelska reports. “Exporting the six-decade-old “Little Mole” through new media is a first step toward establishing the most popular Czech animated icon in America to spur sales of books, movies and toys.”
Ponikelska reports, “Miler, an admirer of Walt Disney’s works who died last November at age 90, created the mole to explain to kids living in then-communist Czechoslovakia how linen is made… The first app, a Krtek-themed Pexeso [US$0.99], which is a Czech version of the game known as Concentration in the U.S., was designed by ULikeIT s.r.o., a Czech app maker. A second e- coloring book is in design. Proceeds from app sales go to the foundation to help educate orphaned and disabled children. ‘My grandfather was so happy to see Krtek on Endeavour,’ said Milerova. ‘I want to continue to promote Krtek over there with books, movies and toys. I feel morally obliged to do so.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: That’s funny, Apple also helped an American mole enter the $200 billion global smartphone market.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Carl H.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Steve Jobs: ‘I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product; I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this’ – October 20, 2011
What’s up with Eric Schmidt’s revisionist history of his relationship with Steve Jobs? – October 14, 2011
Apple CEO Steve Jobs hid iPad development from Google mole Eric Schmidt – April 12, 2011
CNBC’s Goldman: ‘Steve Jobs simply hates Eric Schmidt’ (with video) – March 15, 2010
Steve Jobs: Google can’t ‘kill iPhone,’ ‘Don’t be evil’ mantra is ‘bullshit’ – February 1, 2010
Just about squirted water out of my nose at MDN’s take! LOL
I just choked on a sandwich and sprayed my granddaughter with tuna…great take.
must… stop… laughing… sides… hurting… Phew!
Wait. What “American” mole? Samsung is American? To whom is this reference directed?
Eric T. Mole, of course.
(Brought to you by Carl’s Jr.)
+∞!
Well, not just communist Europe, it was on West German tv (Sendung mit der Maus) since seventies as well, in fact still is today and my kids still like it…
No, no – it’s a different character and I think it was just popular in Eastern Europe. I’m from Poland and used to watch a lot of it in the 80s as a kid 🙂 Here is the link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=604119588026816292
In Russia and Ukraine, he is known as Krot. КРОТ
Awesome….my laugh for the day
Couldn’t think of a better reason to run that story if only to use that MDN take. 🙂
I think the MDN take was the *only* reason they ran this story at all. 😉
Bounce a Czech 😉
@MDN ***Awesome*** take! I’m glad I wasn’t drinking when I read it!!!