Cartoon Networks

Cartoon Network (Germany) is a very popular German television channel for children and with its headquarters in Munich. The Cartoon Network is in German and in English; itt is available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

More over, these cartoons are made of drawings, computer animations and Stop-Motion.

Short stories, comics and cartoons can have an immense impact on learning a foreign language. That is why these authentic materials are not only an entertainment programme for children, but are also a help to improve the language skills of adults.

Some formative German cartoons in everyone’s life are e.g. Janoschs Traumstunde, Käptn Blaubär, Biene Maja, Lauras Stern, Nick Knatterton, Ottifanten, Tabaluga and Timm Thaler.

 

 

1. Janoschs Traumstunde

Janoschs Traumstunde is based on the stories of popular German children’s author Horst Eckert and is greatly appreciated by Germans. This cartoon series deals with self-contained stories and includes popular characters from the author’s children’s books, such as Tiger und Bär.

 

2. Käpt’n Blaubär

Walter Moers creates Käptn Blaubär and the cartoon series is about the adventures of the Captain Blaubär on the Seven Seas. In each episode, the captain interacts with his grandchildren and tells a little tale of the old seaman.

 

3.  Biene Maja

Biene Maja was the first Japanese-German-Austrian co-production and is based on Waldemar Bonsels’ novels. A little honey bee, named Maja, and her friends Filip and Willi are the main characters in this cartoon series. It tells the story of Maja’s development from a youngster to an adult, and makes the personal development as a subject of discussion of each episode.

 

4.  Lauras Stern

Lauras Stern deals with the story of a seven-year old girl who finds a wounded star. Klaus Baumgart, the author of the novel, makes use of stories about care to activate the spectator’s compassion for others.

 

5.  Nick Knatterton

Nick Knatterton is a cartoon series about the protagonist named Nick Knatterton who is a private detective. The cartoon is based on the book series by Manfred Schmidt and contains a case to solve in each episode.

 

6.  Ottifanten

Ottifanten tells a story about a family of elephant-like creatures. The TV Series is invented by a German comedian named Otto Waalkes and it has 13 episodes containing everyday life problems.

 

7.  Tabaluga

A small green dragon named Tabaluga is the main character in the same named cartoon series and depicts the last of the dragons. The cartoon is invented by Peter Maffay and deals with Tabaluga’s adventures against evil and his experiences in his home country named Grünland.

Peter Maffay is a famous rock singer in Germany and is responsible for the success of that TV series.

 

8.  Timm Thaler

Based on the novel by James Krüss, this cartoon series is about a young boy who makes a deal with a baron. He trades his laughter to a mysterious baron in exchange for the ability to win any bet he makes. The cartoon uses that idea of winning to warn its viewers from becoming egocentric.