Over 50 years old and wise from the start…that’s how we know her, the WDR mouse from probably the most famous show on German television.
For half a century she has enchanted young and old with her wit and knowledge.
Without the mouse, the WDR would be like Cologne without Cologne Cathedral.
To the left of the mouse, in the shop window in the WDR arcades, you can now hopefully see her loyal and curious companion since 1975, the elephant.
And there is also the rather cheeky duck (unfortunately not in the shop window in the photo), who has been part of the mouse team since 1987.
Since 1976, Armin Maiwald has been the narrator of interesting factual stories, e.g. about how the leads get into pencils or strips get into toothpaste. To cheer people up, there are funny stories during the 30-minute broadcast, in which characters such as Shaun the Sheep, the Little Mole or Nulli and Priesemut make an appearance.
And when can the mouse, elephant and duck be seen? As a separator between funny and factual stories in the mouse spots.
From 2015 onwards, the mouse was given greater honor when the show “Ask the mouse” started on ARD for the more adult audience.
And that’s not all: to mark its 50th birthday, Mark Forster (like Stefan Raab 25 years before) published a serenade, the post office issued a special stamp and a 20 euro coin was released.
The mouse and elephant even went into space when Astro-Alex took them both on board the ISS in 2018.
Since its inception, “Die Sendung mit der Maus” has received numerous awards such as the “Golden Camera”, the “Adolf Grimme Prize” and the State and Federal Order of Merit.
Here, at least via audio, insights into the “Erste Sendung mit der Maus” from March 7, 1971.
Now we will smell the “Real Cologne Water” and we will learn at Glockengasse 4, the current headquarters of “47 11” not far from here, that product piracy already existed in Cologne in 1803.
