Die Sendung Mit Der Maus

Die Sendung mit der Maus (The show with the mouse) is a famous children's series on German television, airing uninterrupted since 1971. Its goal is to encourage children to actively participate in life, to ask questions and to shape their own lives through taking action. The show first aired in 1971, and is shown in a weekly Sunday morning slot, usually at 11:30 in the ARD and the ARDs / ZDFs children's channel KI.KA. The format is aimed at younger children, and the language used in the show is a version of german that refrains from using "big words" and long sentences which might confuse children. More complicated concepts are broken down into smaller parts which then are explained in a way easily understandable and comprehensible to young children. However, due to the long running of the show, many of the show's early viewers are now in their twenties, thirties or even forties who fondly remember the show from their childhoods and encourage their own children to watch the programme, thus contributing to the show's lasting success and impact on german society. Each show consists of a similar pattern of short featurettes, separated from each other by a short mouse cartoon. The show always starts with its iconic theme music, unchanged since 1971 and recognised throughout the german population. After the first few bars of the theme, a voice-over starts to list the contents of the show in german, which is then repeated in a foreign language, which changes every week. After the music has ended, it is revealed after a short pause what foreign language that was, giving the children (and their parents) a chance to take their own guesses first. Each part of the show is separated from the next by a short cartoon of about 30 to 60 seconds in length, featuring the eponymous orange mouse, the small blue elephant and sometimes the yellow duck. None of the characters speak, but noises from walking or other doings are audible. At times, the blue elephant trumpets with his nose to get the mouse's attention. The cartoons show some small everyday adventure, but always displayed in a light-hearted manner. These cartoons serve to logically separate each segment from the next, relax the children and avoid sensory overload by a too-rapid succession of input. A large part of each show is used for factual stories, explaining how some everyday article or service works, or is made. Sometimes, Do-It-Yourself instructions are given for things children can make on their own or together with their parents, like baking a cake or building a simple kite. Usually two of these stories are shown in every show. The shows have also been broadcasted in France and the Netherlands. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.