Löwenzahn

loewenzahn-hero

A children’s show dedicated to education, problem solving, and the importance of play.

Löwenzahn (dandelion) is a German children’s show that first aired in the 1980s. When the main character, Peter Lustig, literally “Peter Funny,” moves into town, his very presence begins to challenge his neighbors’ suburban status quo.

In the second episode below, Peter is faced with the limitations of a small living space. Inspired by examples of alternative housing plans and the wisecracks of the onlooking neighbor kids, he gets to work constructing a dream home of modified furniture, complete with convertible bed. The program’s structure mirrors Peter’s ingenuity, often veering into storytelling methods like animation and real-world footage.

What lies at the center of this program’s success is Peter, who’s both wise and naïve. Though he hilariously trips and falls into every challenge headfirst, he always comes back with a smile and a limitless desire to use everything available to make the situation better, whether that be technical ingenuity, research, or plain human compassion.