Bolek and Lolek


Bolek and Lolek are two Polish cartoon characters from the children's TV animated comedy series by the same title. They were partially created by Alfred Ledwig before being developed by Władysław Nehrebecki and Leszek Lorek. The series is about two young brothers and their fun 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, a little girl who lives in the forest, and meets Bolek and Lolek there. 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 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 films allowed to be broadcast by Iranian television, along with other popular Polish animated cartoon Reksio, just after the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
In 2011 a monument of Bolek and Lolek was erected in Bielsko-Biała.

Judicial proceedings against Siegessäule

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 Siegessäule was obliged to pay the copyright owners 4,000 euro in compensation, as well as to publish an official apology in their pages.

Characters

Bolek i Lolek

Bolek and Lolek - 13 Episodes, 1962–1964.
Benny and Lenny on Vacation - 13 episodes, 1965.
Benny and Lenny travel the world - 18 episodes, 1968–1970.
The Tales of Bolek and Lolek - 13 episodes, 1970–1971.
The Adventures of Bolek and Lolek - 63 episodes, 1972–1980.
Benny and Lenny in the Wild West - 7 episodes, 1971–1972.
Fun with Bolek and Lolek - 7 episodes, 1975–1976.
Bolek and Lolek's Great Journey - 15 episodes, 1978.
Benny and Lenny Among the Miners - 7 episodes, 1980.
Olympics with Bolek and Lolek - 13 episodes, 1983–1984.
Benny and Lenny in Europe - 5 episodes, 1983–1986.

Feature films