Unser Sandmännchen ("Our Little Sandman"), Das Sandmännchen ("The Little Sandman"), Der Abendgruß ("The Evening-Greeting"), Abendgruß ("Evening-Greeting"), Der Sandmann ("The Sandman"), Sandmann ("Sandman"), Sandmännchen ("Little Sandman") is a German children's bedtime television program using stop-motion animation. The puppet was based on the Ole Lukøje character by Hans Christian Andersen.
Two versions of Sandmännchen were created: one in East Germany (Unser Sandmännchen), and one in West Germany (Das Sandmännchen).
The series is the longest-running animated television series in history; additionally, it is the TV show with the most episodes in history.
Background
The original idea came from Ilse Obrig of West Berlin TV and radio station Sender Freies Berlin (SFB), who, with the help of author Johanna Schüppel, developed a working version in 1958. The Little Sandman himself first appeared on screen in West Berlin in Sandmännchens Gruß für Kinder (Sandmännchen's Greeting to Children...