Copper Green

Ureigene Sache oder Gesamtdeutsch Projekt?
The cultural separation of Germany

Introduction
It was no ones intention to let it happen, but it still happened. On 7 October 1949 the 'Volksratt' pronounced itself the 'Provisorische Volkskammer der Deutsche Demokratische Republik' and abolished the constitution. About five months earlier the Bundes Republik Deutschland (BRD) has been established. Now, there were officially two Germanies. In May 1945 Germany was divided among the Allied Forces into four occupation zones. The Allies' intention was to reunite Germany as a neutral nation as soon as possible. However, by the winter of 1945-1946, it was becoming increasingly clear that this was not going to happen (Melching, 2004, p.27). On 1 January 1947 the United Kingdom and the United States of America unilaterally decided to combine their zones in order to build a democratic system in their territories. The creation of a West Germany was done in close cooperation with France and West-Europe (p.60). This trend continued in the spring of 1948 when the Soviet Union stepped out of the Allied Council. This was instigated by a monetary reform in the British, French and US zones (p.61). In the meantime, what later would be the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), was also coming together. The Sozialistische Einheidspartei Deutschlands (SED) was established on 21 and 22 April 1946 and Stalinized, the Stazi was established and the communistic reform of the economy began. The division was made more complete by the summer of 1948 with the first Berlin Crisis, the Berlin Crisis with the famous airlift that kept West Berlin from communist control (p.62-63).
There may have existed two Germanies with very different political systems, but how divided was Germany really? The DDR Constitution of 1968 still refers to one German nation divided over two sovereign states (Melching, 2004, p.151). The BRD also refuses to fully recognize the DDR as a country. It was only in 1970 with the 'Grundlagenvertrag' that the BRD recognizes the DDR as a constitutional sovereign state, but however not under international law. This had many implications, such as that the BRD did not recognize DDR citizenship. This had tremendous implications when a DDR citizen fled from the DDR and went to the BRD. As the BRD considered him to be a German citizen, he could get BRD citizenship without any procedure.
Even though Germany was politically divided in two, this did not mean that there were not any connections between the two countries. Most citizens felt like they were one nation. Many had family in the 'other Germany'. Another connection that is not often acknowledged is a cultural one, specifically television. BRD television constituted a window for the East Germans about how their world could be if they were not governed by a communistic regime. German media "acquired the status of a normative reference point for information, truth and entertainment as an escape from the often monotonous, streamlined, and propagandistic SED-recipe." (Staab, 1998, p.108)
That DDR citizens watched BRD television is widely known, but that BRD citizens were tuned into DDR television is an area not often explored. This paper will. This paper shall explore the cultural connection between the two Germanies, with the help of television and the Sandmännchen. The Sandmännchen is chosen as case study because the Sandmännchen was a very successful popular cultural phenomenon in both East and West Germany. It had versions in East and West and interestingly, the East version was most successful. Even in West Germany, where it was possible to receive DDR television, people tuned into the East German version of the Sandmännchen. The Sandmännchen gives a very nice insight in how people from the DDR and BRD worked in cooperation or competition. The Sandmännchen is already broadcasted for more than 45 years, which makes that he stretches through almost the complete period of the DDR. This paper will further examine how it was possible that the East version of the Sandmännchen was more successful and even survived the German Unification, at expense of the BRD versions.
The Sandmännchen is a television program for children in the age from two till eight. It is about a little puppet, the Sandmännchen, who throws sand in the eyes of the little children to put them to sleep. Just before, he presents some of his friends who tell a bedtime story or sing a song. The Sandmännchen was broadcasted in the DDR as 'Unser Sandmännchen ' and had many versions in the BRD. The most important one, 'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke ', has been broadcasted for more than twenty years. Due to his long life, his versions in East and West Germany and his continuing popularity, the Sandmännchen became an icon in the history of the division and unification of Germany. What can he tell us about the cultural separation of Germany? Was Germany separated culturally in the same way as it was politically?

This paper is going to answer that question. The paper is basically divided into four parts. The first part is about the history of the Sandmännchen till 1989, until the unification of Germany. It will first go into the history of the Sandmännchen. How did the program develop in the DDR and BRD? Was it was there a connection between the two and can this be considered rather as cooperation or as competition? Then a comparison will be made between the East version and one of the West versions. Further a closer look will be taken on the content on the DDR Sandmännchen. Was it really as political as many say? The second part will be about the Sandmännchen after 1989. How did the Sandmännchen survive the Unification? Did the Unification have influence on the content of the program? The third part will give a further analysis of the Sandmännchen. Why was he so successful? Can the Sandmännchen be regarded as ostalgia? What the consequence this mixture of success and ostalgia? The fourth part will constitute the conclusion. Was Germany divided culturally in the same way as it was politically? It will further forecast the future of the Sandmännchen and raise a question for further research.
Part I The Sandmännchen until 1989

The development of the Sandmännchen until 1989
The Sandmännchen has a very dark history (Goldbeck, 2001). It starts off in the Middle Ages. A sandman was a real profession. A sandman used fine sand to polish copper and wooden floors (Peters, 2002). Based on this profession a fairytale was developed, a 'Sandman' would go around to stab little children's eyes out or to throw sand in them till they were bleeding (ibid). In the stories of E.T.A Hoffman the 'Sandman' was a monster too. In the fairytale of Hans-Christian Andersen became the 'Sandman' for the first time a children's friend. The sand was replaced by sweet milk (Goldbeck, 2001).
In German television the Sandmännchen uses sand again, but he still is a friend of the children. He puts them to sleep. This does not automatically imply that his history here is less dark and mysterious. The history of the Sandmännchen in Germany starts at the end of the 1950s. Ilse Oberg has been responsible for the West German children television for the last decades and is at the end of her career. She wants to produce a new television program, the Sandmännchen. Her superiors of the Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) consider her programs and her pedagogy outdated (Petzold, 2003, p.2). They give her the opportunity to produce the Sandmännchen, but it is mere eyewash and the budget is too small for a serious production. Therefore the techniques she used were not advanced at all. The Sandmännchen was just a hand puppet (ibid.).
Walter Heynowski, program leader of the Deutschen Fernsehfunk (DFF), did not know this when he saw a press release by the SFB on the 4 November 1959. In this press release he read that the West German television would broadcast the Sandmännchen on 1 December (Petzold, 2003, p.1-2). This would mean a disaster for the DFF. The DFF was already broadcasting an 'Abendgruß ' without a Sandmännchen from 8 October 1958. This program had also many viewers in West Berlin. The Sandmännchen would mean that they would lose these viewers. And that was not the only thing to fear:

"… daß der SFB mit seinem 'Sandmännchen' unseren 'Abendgruß' zur gleichen Minute täglich kontern will. Es zeigt sich also, dass wir mit unserer Sendung [den Abendgrüßen] auch bei den Westberliner Kinderen und deren Eltern 'ankommen'. Also große politische Wirkung durch Emotionen [...] Die gegnerische Absicht, uns die Zuschauer abzunehmen, darf nicht unterschätzt werden. "
Heynowski in Petzold, 2003, p.2

The result was that an East German version had to be made within two weeks. Gerhard Behrendt, often called the Sandmännchen father, designed a puppet, animated and directed the movies in this small period of time. Horst Walter was the cameraman. Wolfgang Richter composed the music for the Sandmännchen song and Walter Krumbach, a bestseller children book author, wrote the text. (Petzold, 2003, p.2) Neither expenses nor effort were saved, only the best was just good enough, because it had to be the best, better than the West (ibid). On 22 November 1959 the first episode of 'Unser Sandmännchen' was broadcasted, one week before the first episode of its Western colleague (ibid).
The makers of 'Unser Sandmännchen' for sure succeed in one thing; The East's Sandmännchen became more successful than its Western counterpart. After a few changes in the first years, the puppet stayed almost the same for the next decades. This cannot be said about the Sandmännchen in West Germany. Ilse Oberg's creation disappeared within three years from the screen (Generation NeXt, 2004) and out of history. Another animated puppet took its place. On another channel was another Sandmännchen figure broadcasted, created by Wolfgang Hensel, but hardly anything is known about this figure (Petzold, 1999). In October 1962 appeared again another Sandmännchen on the television screens in West Germany; 'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke', a creation of Herbert K. Schulz. Schulz was a refugee from the DDR and a former colleague of Gerhard Behrendt, the father of the Sandmännchen. This Sandmännchen would go into history as the West Sandmännchen, but would always stand in the shadow of its Eastern brother (ibid.). Another channel, the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), sent from 1967 till 1978 a man high puppet, 'Sandmännchen International' (ibid.)
In the DDR 'Unser Sandmännchen' continued to be successful, but the 1980s were quite a disastrous time for the Sandmännchen in the West (Petzold, 1999). Already in December 1983, he was taken off the air by the SFB. The Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) tried three different versions at the same time. Schulz tried new clothes for the Sandmännchen, but he was in vain. In March 1989, the Sandmännchen disappeared from the NDR too. Only the Südwestrundfunk (SWR) stayed faithful to the Sandmännchen, but in the end replaced it by 'Unser Sandmännchen'. Surprisingly, they later chose to shift back to 'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke' (ibid.)

Cooperation through competition
The history described above shows a kind of unintentional cooperation. Ideas and people crossed borders. The idea of the program came from Oberg in the BRD; this idea crossed the border on a press release and was read by Heynowski. He produced the program in the DDR. It was a success and the expertise how to create this success crossed the border again in the form of the refugee Schulz. Schulz was then again responsible for the success of 'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke' in the BRD.
Such an unintentional cooperation was something that would never be admitted by the DFF. This is shown by the following event. 'Unser Sandmännchen' was an enormous success. Even 'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke' could not equal this success. In 1966, the WDR tried to buy 50 episodes of the DDR series, but this was denied by the DFF. Not because the conditions for the sale were bad, but because the Sandmännchen was "eine ureigene Sache des Deutschen Fernsehfunks der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik " (Hans Höschel in Petzold, 2003, p.1). This was a purely political consideration, because the money was needed. However, 'Unser Sandmännchen' was exported to other Western countries like Egypt and Sweden, because of this need for money (Petzold, 2003, p.3). This act clearly shows that there was competition between the DFF and the West German television, at least from the side of the DFF. Political considerations were even more important than economical ones. For the WDR were these political considerations not of importance. The fact that the program was successful and that they could make money with it was more important.
The history of the Sandmännchen described above is only recently known. Only in 1993, the former director and author of the DFF, Inge Trisch, told about the real history of the Sandmännchen (Petzold, 2003, p.3). Jan-Uwe Rogge describes in 1981 another history of the origins of the Sandmännchen. He starts in 1958 when the DFF sent their first 'Abendgruß', still without the Sandmännchen. Critiques say that it is too impersonal, not emotional enough and that it needs a lovely package, an ever recurring leading pattern (Rogge, 1991, p.85). Therefore Gerhard Behrendt designed in the autumn of 1959 a puppet with the wisdom of the elderly and the naivety of the children: the Sandmännchen was born (ibid.). Rogge says with respect to beginning of the West Sandmännchen: "Die Vorgeschichte des westdeutschen Sandmännchens läßt sich nicht genau rekonstruieren. Fest steht, daß es 1962 ins Programm aufgenommen wurde. " (ibid.) With this new Sandmännchen rumours of plagiarism started on both sides of the German-German border (ibid.).
From this mystic history the following question emerges: What motivaded the East-Germans to televise their version of the Sandmännchen before the West Germans could? The answer lies in the fact that people in the DDR mirrored their general situation to the BRD. The DDR was the most prosperous country of the Soviet sphere of influence, but this did not matter, the Bundesrepublik was the point of reference. The birth of the Sandmännchen was in the middle of the Second Berlin Crisis, shortly before the building of the Berlin Wall. In these years, many citizens from the DDR fed the country via West Berlin (Melching, 2004, pp.101-102). With the 'Abendgruß' the DFF had a program that was also watched in the West. If now the people in the West came with a better program, this would mean a loss of viewers: not just viewers in West Berlin, but also in the DDR because they could receive West German television too. This would automatically mean capitalist influences on the little children and this was of course unthinkable. On the other hand, Volker Petzold raises the question whether Heynowski could have made this story up to make it easier to get money for his own production (2003, p.2).

Comparison between 'Unser Sandmännchen' and 'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke'
The Sandmännchen has different versions in East and West, but what is the difference? The first thing that catches ones attention are the differences in the two versions. The Sandmännchen looks different and the songs were different.

'Unser Sandmännchen'

'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke'

The aesthetic differences between the two shows are accentuated by Ruth Herrmann, in her description of the Western Sandmännchen' vehicles:

"Das Ding, in dem das Sandmännchen landet, scheint das gemeinsame Werk eines Schlachters, eines Schaumstoffverarbeiters und eines Zuckerbäckers zu sein. Es sieht aus wie ein Rindsknochen mit Gelenkkugeln an den Enden, umkleidet mit Schaumstoff und bestreut mit Süßin. "

Herrmann in Rogge, 1981, p.89

This difference in detail can be explained by the differences in finance. There was much more money available for the East version and therefore there was more time to develop the vehicles and the rest of the production (Hikel, 2005). In the DDR, the makers seemed to have a never ending inspiration when it came to the vehicles, the Sandmännchen drove everything, from cars to rockets and from snow ploughs to rickshaws (Rogge, 1981, p.87).
Although the series differ, there are also similarities, such as the structure of an episode. The Sandmännchen comes and gives the starting signal for a story in the middle part. After the middle part, the audience on the screen is suddenly very tired and goes willingly to bed. Then the Sandmännchen comes to its actual act and throws sand in the eyes of the little children, on both sides of the screen. The Sandmännchen then disappears again in its vehicle (Rogge, 1981, p.88).
Another similarity can be found in the function of the show. The main function of the Sandmännchen was the same in East and West Germany. He would prepare the children to go to bed willingly and tell them a nice story or sing a nice song before sleeping (Rogge, 1981, p.101). Secondary functions however differed in East and West. In the DDR, the Sandmännchen should build socialistic personalities and contribute to the knowledge of the children in an entertaining way (ibid.). The secondary function of the West Sandmännchen was mainly entertaining. It was all the better if it had an educational function too, though this was not a priority (p.102). According to Rogge, a good pedagogical concept was missing. In only one third of the episodes a pedagogical intentioned character is found, against nine to ten in the former DDR. The subject contents are fairly alike and a general moral discipline is found too, similar to the one in the DDR (ibid.). Traber also acknowledges the similar pedagogical function (2004).
The main function of the Sandmännchen in the DDR is, as mentioned above, to prepare the children to go willingly to bed and tell them a nice story or sing a nice song before sleeping (Rogge, 1981, p.101). This is not really a political function, but the secondary function, to create socialist personalities and contribute to the knowledge of the children on an entertaining way (ibid.), could be explained as a political function. In my opinion this could well be a normal way of expressing such a function back then. It was common to use bold rhetoric when it came to present your aims.
The political content of 'Unser Sandmännchen'
The Sandmännchen is not as political as many people think. Sabine Tescher (2005), journalist for the Hamburger Abendblatt, even calls the Sandmännchen during DDR times a pure DDR propaganda machine. When you look at the content of the DDR Sandmännchen episodes, topics like techniques, work, leisure time and sports are really important. According to Jan-Uwe Rogge the function of the Sandmännchen in the DDR was to make children acquainted to the fairytale world and the world of technology and work (1981, p.87). The many beautiful vehicles the Sandmännchen uses show technological progress. The Sandmännchen also spends about 10 percent of his time working (Petzold, b). He performs all the professions you can possibly think of, except for the industry. This probably would not have looked nice on the screen (ibid).
The Sandmännchen spend about the same amount of time on leisure. He tried to spend his time meaningful, so he went climbing, went to the beach or visited children playing in the sand pit (ibid). The Sandmännchen practiced and visited many different kinds of sports too. Sports were considered to be really important in the DRR (ibid). The Sandmännchen was also a passionate traveller. Not only did he visit the normal cities and pilot projects in the DDR, he also went abroad. He first visited the socialist countries, but later on he also visited countries that were very hard to reach for the average DDR citizen. Passionate traveller as he was, he even went out of space, under water and to the fairytale world.
When he went abroad he often visited countries that were visited by the DDR leaders about the same time (Petzold, a). The Sandmännchen always takes into account current events. The Sandmännchen would never clear the roads of snow in the summer and if he visited fairy tale figures like Little Red Riding Hood there were a summer and a winter version (Rogge, 1981, p.87). The Sandmännchen was also present at events such as the opening of the business fair in Leipzig or sport events, like the Olympic Games and the 'Weltfestspiele' (p.88).
In a state like the DDR, it was impossible for the Sandmännchen to stay completely aloof from politics and ideology. However, the Sandmännchen was in less then 10 percent of the episodes really involved in one of both (Petzold, b). His involvement in politics and ideology becomes apparent in his visits to summer camps of the Young Pioneers, his visits to the 'Weltfestspiele' and the national holiday, the 'Tag der Republik' (ibid). These are also events that have to do with the daily reality of the DDR. For the educational function of the Sandmännchen, these events are as relevant as the working environment or a visit to the beach. Maybe the best argument against the argument that the content of the Sandmännchen is propaganda, is the fact that many of these movies are still broadcasted today.

Part II The Sandmännchen after 1989
How did the Sandmännchen survive the Unification?
The 1980s were not much of a success story for the West-Sandmännchen and he almost disappeared. This decade was not that troublesome for the East-Sandmännchen, his problems started at the end of the decennium. Germany was united and the DFF disappeared, but not the Sandmännchen. He lived further as a part of the regional program of the ARD in Former Eastern Germany and in the Eastern program 'O 3' (Petzold, 2003, p.4). Although he was not really in danger, rumours started that the program should disappear. Only two newspaper articles were enough to start petitions, phone calls, action groups and even demonstrations in the autumn of 1990 (ibid.). Nowadays the Sandmännchen is a co-production of the Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg (RBB), the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) and the NDR, in which the RBB had the lead (Götze, 2005).

The influence of the unification on the content of the program
The Sandmännchen survived the reunification of Germany, but what was the influence of the Unification on the Sandmännchen? Many things changed. Most importantly, the editors changed, which meant new influences. The Sandmännchen got a facelift to make him ready for a new life (Hikel, 2005). It was decided, that for the beginning and ending the movies from the East version should be used. This was because these had a larger variety and there where simply more movies (Götze, 2005). Movies from East and West were selected to see whether or not they could be used for the middle part (Traber, 2004). Were the movies technically up to date? Did they still look good? Did the episode fit the current times? A Sandmännchen in places that children do not recognize does not make much sense. And relationships between the Sandmännchen and the army do not reflect the view of the current editorial office (Hikel, 2005). The song of the Sandmännchen program was newly recorded and the voices and arrangements are more modern now. The Sandmännchen lives not only in an animation world anymore, but he is also combined with digital techniques and real movies.
The mainly the aesthetics changed, but some influence of the Unification can also be found in the function of the Sandmännchen. Of course the main function is still to send children to their beds, but the pedagogical function of the Sandmännchen during the DDR times is not present anymore (Götze, 2005). According to Ulrike Götze (2005), Sandmännchen director from the MDR, children should not be charged with stories that are too exiting or have a heavy educational content. It should simply be stories that are fun and make nice dreams possible. This is the same attitude as Rogge describes for the West-Sandmännchen (1981, p.102)

Part III Analyses of the Sandmännchen

The Sandmännchen's secret success formula
'Unser Sandmännchen' was for sure a success story. His Western colleague, 'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke' too. Although it always stayed in the shadow of his Eastern colleague, it nevertheless was broadcasted for more than twenty years. What was the secret of this success? Jan-Uwe Rogge gives a few reasons: constant broadcast times, a varied beginning and end, the use of a limited amount of characters in the middle part and an almost unchanged pedagogical and aesthetic concept (1981, p.83). The broadcast times of the 'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke' were not that constant, but according to Rogge did this not harm the Sandmännchen much. Except on Thursdays, when the Sandmännchen was broadcasted quite early (p.84). What did harm the Sandmännchen according to Rogge, were the commercials around him. He vanished a bit between the loud and funny commercials (ibid.).
Constant broadcasting times are important for a program like the Sandmännchen. People remembering the program often mention this regularity. It is also an important feature to send children to bed. This needs to be always around the same time. Consistent aesthetics and characters are very recognisable. In the first place for the little children, but nowadays also for their parents and grandparents. According to Hikel (2005) this is part of the current success of the Sandmännchen. These regularities made the shows really reliable. The parents know what to expect from the Sandmännchen and they can let their children watch it without any fear of violence (Martin, 2001).
In relation to the Sandmännchen's success one question is still unanswered. What made 'Unser Sandmännchen' so much more successful, than all the western attempts to create a better, or at least similar figure? One part of a possible explanation is already mentioned above: the surrounding environment of commercials that shouted the Sandmännchen down. The most important reason is though, that the financial situation for 'Unser Sandmännchen' was much better than in the West (Hikel, 2005). Therefore more time could be invested in the production and the movies were perfect in detail. Especially the beginnings and endings in the DDR showed a much bigger variety (Götze, 2005). Götze also mentions some other factors of importance. Firstly the Sandmännchen was not broadcasted that regular in the BRD. It was sometimes cancelled, the broadcasting times were changed sometimes and he was broadcasted on different regional television channels, but not all regional channels broadcasted the program. Therefore many people did know him and a collective tradition like in the DDR could not develop.

The Sandmännchen as Ostalgia
Ostalgia or DDR/German Democratic Republic (GDR) nostalgia is the longing back to the East German society as it never existed (Melching, 2004, p.285). After the unification with West Germany all kinds of problems raised, like unemployment. This led to people remembering the pleasant things of the past and in the same time erasing the less pleasant things.
Norbert Kapferer described four stages in GDR nostalgia. The first period are the last months before the unification; it is a period of optimism and self-criticism. In the second period, starting at the end of 1990, there is dissatisfaction about the practical implications of the unification. It basically is a feeling of a loss of identity, a feeling of losing something what was their own and therefore worth keeping. The third period, between 1991 and 1992, was a period of self-defence and the fourth period was a move from self-defence to self-maintenance (Kapferer, 2000, p.31-32).
The Sandmännchen would fit this theory. The demonstrations and petitions in the autumn of 1990 clearly fit the second period of dissatisfaction about the practical implications. The DFF disappeared and there was a strong fear that the Sandmännchen, part of their daily life and past, would disappear too. When the RBB wanted to skip the program in 2003 there were many complaints and the Sandmännchen stayed (Götze, 2005). This can be regarded as self-maintenance of the fourth period. People do not want to lose the last parts of what was once their culture. During this period the Sandmännchen did not only receive support from the former DDR but also from the West. Markus Söder, media politics spokesman of the political party the Christlich-Soziale Union (CSU), even offered a place on the regional television in Bavaria (Die Welt, 2003).

The risk of the mixture of ostalgia and success
Ostalgia and the success of the Sandmännchen made him a highly political figure. An often heard story is the similarity between 'Unser Sandmännchen' and the DDR party chief Walter Ulbricht (Lukaschewitsch, 2004/Schroeter, 2004/Tesche, 2004).

The similarity between the Sandmännchen and DDR party chef Walter Ulbricht

According to Petzold this story is nonsense and "lediglich durch eine unbedarfte, hemdsärmlig-eilfertige Journaille am Leben erhalten. " (Petzold, 2003, p.4) As proof he mentions the many different stages in the development of the Sandmännchen puppet. It was said that the face of the puppet was an idea of DDR-star graphic designer Werner Klempe and that it had more in common with a half-moon than the face of the politician (ibid).
Part IV Conclusion:

Was Germany culturally as separated as it was politically, if you look at the Sandmännchen? The start of the Sandmännchen in the end of the 1950s and the 1960s shows an unintended cooperation between the DFF in the DDR and the West German television. Ideas and expertise crossed borders on different occasions, but officially there was no contact between them. Especially the DFF considers the Sandmännchen as an 'Ureigene Sache', which does not have any ties with the BRD and should never have. This becomes very clear when the WDR tries to buy 50 episodes of 'Unser Sandmännchen'. Although the money is needed, the DFF refuses this good offer because the Sandmännchen is an 'Ureigene Sache' of the DFF and the DDR. The program is later sold to other countries in the West, because of the same need for money. The fact that that the Sandmännchen version of Ilse Oberg is forgotten is also an indication that the DFF wanted to let the world believe that the Sandmännchen was their own idea. Why this version was also forgotten in West Germany could constitute a question for further research.
Although both versions differed at first glance, the programs were quite similar. The structure and functions of the shows were similar. The secondary functions differ at first glance, but are quite similar in the end as well. The difference that catches the attention most, the aesthetics, was mainly caused by the different financial situation. Even the content of the program is not as political, as many believe.

In the 1990 the Sandmännchen becomes also officially a 'Gesamtdeutsch ' phenomenon. The Sandmännchen from the DDR was still successful at the end of the 1980s and is now also broadcasted in former West Germany and in his middle part are movies from the former BRD versions. The unification had not a large influence on the content of the Sandmännchen, because the content of the program was not political before. The main changes are due to the new directors of the Sandmännchen and the facelift he got, to make him ready for the future. However, one thing did change, the pedagogical function of the Sandmännchen was decreased, he should be mainly entertaining to make beautiful dreams possible.
The Sandmännchen was a very successful program due to its regularity. Not only with respect to broadcasting times, but also to aesthetic and pedagogical concept, and the characters in the middle part. The only thing that breaks this regularity in a positive way is the variety in the beginnings and endings, but the structure is always the same. The differences in success of the East and West Sandmännchen are merely found in the differences of the quality of program and the television environment surrounding it. These reasons are rather universal than typical for East or West Germany. Something that gives an extra dimension to the success of the Sandmännchen nowadays is ostalgia. The Sandmännchen is a positive piece of the DDR past. Something to be proud of. This is one of the few DDR things that became popular in West Germany. The demonstrations and petitions show that people are really passionate to keep the Sandmännchen on their screens. This also is the source of the political load the Sandmännchen seems to have today. He is today an ambassador of the DDR past at one hand and a symbol of the united Germany today at the other.

This analysis of the Sandmännchen shows that the cultural separation between the two Germanies in reality was not that strict as the political separation. Ideas and expertise crossed the border on several occasions. The WDR even tried to buy Sandmännchen episodes; this was rejected because of political reasons. The similarities between the two programs, especially those in the function of the program, and the Sandmännchen's success in both countries, show that the ideas about children television and the bringing up of children were not that different.

What the future will bring for the 'Gesamtdeutsch' Sandmännchen will of course stay a question. The NDR has stopped broadcasting the Sandmännchen two years ago (Götze, 2005). The RBB also considered that in 2003, but a large public support for the Sandmännchen prevented that from happening. The Sandmännchen does not fit in the current programming of the MDR, but it is still broadcasted because too many people watch it to scrap it (ibid). Fortunately the Sandmännchen has found a new home at the Kinderkanal (KiKa). There it one of the most successful programs (ibid).

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Sources of the illustrations

Picture (in order of appearancre) Name-Maker-Source

'Unser Sandmännchen'
046
Horst Walter
http://www2.rbb-online.de/_/sandmann/fuererwachsene/index_jsp.html

'Sandmännchen auf der Wolke'
Sandmann1
http://www.quarks.de/sand/09.htm

Walter Ubricht
Walter%20Ulbricht
http://www.fuhsd.net/schools/fhs/teachers/lzastrow/images/Soviet%20Union/Walter%20Ulbricht.jpg

Sandmännchen
gbild3
http://www.kika.de/_inhalte/tv/sendungen/s/sandmann/bilder/gbild3.jpg