Bolek and Lolek

For the 1936 live-action comedy film, see Bolek i Lolek (film).
Benny and Lenny
Genre Buddy comedy
Slapstick
Created by Władysław Nehrebecki
Written by Władysław Nehrebecki
Theme music composer Waldemar Kazanecki
Country of origin Poland
No. of episodes 152
Production
Producer(s) Studio Filmów Rysunkowych in Bielsko-Biała
Running time 9-10 minutes
Release
Original network Telewizja Polska
Audio format Mono
Original release August 12, 1962 – 1986
Bolek and Lolek monument in Bielsko-Biała, where the show was produced

Bolek and Lolek are two Polish cartoon characters from the children's TV animated comedy series by the same title (Bolek i Lolek in Polish). They were partially created by German-born Alfred Ledwig before being developed by Władysław Nehrebecki and Leszek Lorek. The series is about two young friends and their fun and sometimes silly adventures which often involve spending a lot of time outdoors.

History and Background

The characters first appeared in an animated film in 1962. Their names are diminutives of Bolesław and Karol. In English, the cartoon was distributed as Bennie & Lennie and Jym and Jam. Some episodes were seen as part of Nickelodeon's Pinwheel. In 1973 the creators of the film placed on the request from the female viewing audience a girl character by the name of Tola. The first time she appeared in occurred in the episode entitled "Tola". In total, Tola appeared in 30 episodes.

In a similar vein to The Pink Panther theatrical cartoons, most episodes do not have dialogues. Exceptions are feature-length films and the series from the 1980s, where the main characters' voices were done by: Bolek – Ewa Złotowska, Ilona Kuśmierska; Lolek – Danuta Mancewicz, Danuta Przesmycka.

During the period of the Polish People's Republic, Bolek and Lolek were reproduced in a large quantity of toys: action figures, movies, postcards, online arcades, puzzles, etc., which can be seen in the Museum of Dobranocki (bed-time stories) of the PRL. They are also currently made in computer programs, coloring books, general picture books and games.

Of all the Polish animated cartoons Bolek and Lolek ranks as the number one all-time favorite. The series was popular in many countries, and was one of the few animated movies allowed to be broadcast by Iranian television just after the revolution of 1979.

In 2011 a monument of Bolek and Lolek was erected in Bielsko-Biała.[1]

Judicial Proceedings against Siegesäule

The copyright holders of Polish cartoon Bolek and Lolek filed a lawsuit in 2006 to examine a case of the illegal use of the images of Bolek and Lolek by German homosexuals who wanted to encourage German homosexual minorities to participate in the Warsaw Pride Parade.

The copyright holders, Alfred Ledwig, Władysław Nehrebecki, and Leszek Lorek, felt indignant with what they alleged to be an illegal use of the images of Bolek and Lolek on the cover of German magazine Siegessäule without their permission. The characters had been changed, and Bolek was transformed into a woman. The owners took particular offense to the suggestion of Bolek and Lolek's apparent homosexuality in the image. During one of the interviews, Roman Nehrebecki commented, "The most important thing for me is that children were used for the purposes they should not be used for, for promoting ideas and organizations." The residents of Bielsko-Biała, the city where Bolek and Lolek were created, also signed petitions against the improper use of the image of the characters.

The lawsuit lasted two years and took place in Berlin. The main line of defense of the magazine's owners was the fact that in 2005 the president of Warsaw, Lech Kaczyński, forbade the organization the Pride Parade, manifesting inclination toward uneven treatment of minorities. However, this argument was deemed insignificant by the court, since the subject of the dispute was violation of copyright on the image of Bolek and Lolek and not on the alleged unfair treatment of homosexual minorities. Despite the fact that the lawsuit was prolonged due to the complex German judicial proceedings, it was closed with an agreement. German magazine Siegesäule was obliged to pay the copyright owners 4,000 euro in compensation, as well as to publish an official apology in their pages.

Characters

TV series

Bolek i Lolek

Bolek and Lolek - 13 Episodes, 1962–1964.

Bolek i Lolek na wakacjach

Benny and Lenny on Vacation - 13 episodes, 1965–1966.

Bolek i Lolek wyruszają w świat

Benny and Lenny travel the world - 18 episodes, 1968–1970.

Bajki Bolka i Lolka

The Tales of Bolek and Lolek - 13 episodes, 1970–1971.

Przygody Bolka i Lolka

The Adventures of Bolek and Lolek - 63 episodes, 1972–1980.

Bolek i Lolek na Dzikim Zachodzie

Benny and Lenny in the Wild West - 7 episodes, 1971–1972.

Zabawy Bolka i Lolka

Fun with Bolek and Lolek - 7 episodes, 1975–1976.

Wielka podróż Bolka i Lolka

Bolek and Lolek's Great Journey - 15 episodes, 1978.

Bolek i Lolek wśród górników

Benny and Lenny Among the Miners - 7 episodes, 1980.

Olimpiada Bolka i Lolka

Olympics with Bolek and Lolek - 13 episodes, 1983–1984.

Bolek i Lolek w Europie

Benny and Lenny in Europe - 5 episodes, 1983–1986.

Films

Feature films

Episodes edited into films

Educational films


References

  1. ↑ http://www.zetnews.pl/Poland-in-English/News/Famous-cartoon-characters-commemorated-by-a-monument[]

External links

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