May 20, 2017

Rumcajs, Manka and Cipísek | Czech Republic

As I have written in a previous post, a while a a large number of old postcards came to my possession. Among them there are a lot with Czechoslovakian stamps [so I guess the cards were sent between 1918 and  1993] and most of the cards depict Czechoslovakian cartoons like Krtek [the Mole]. All the cards are written in Czech [which I don't speak] so it takes a lot of research to find out the name and origin of each cartoon character. If you know Czech and you can translate the writtings for me please let me know!

The following postcards depict Rumcajs, Manka and Cipísek. Rumcajs is the main character of the Czechoslovak bedtime cartoon from 1967. He is one of the most famous robbers of all times. Before he became an outlaw he was an ordinary shoemaker and the owner of the shop in a small town called Jicin. And if chance did not so ordain he would lead a quiet life sewing and repairing shoes. Unfortunately, he offended the local governor, calling his sizable feet elephant-like. That unflattering comment has become a cause for Rumcajs exile to the Rzacholecki forest and made him change his appearance and profession. From a quiet cobbler Rumcajs turned into a robber wearing a distinctive red hat, with a thick black beard and a revolver loaded with acorns. 

Despite his threatening appearance, Rumcajs was a robber of gentle nature, willing to help the residents of Jicin. He also stood up for forest animals frequently harassed by His Majesty the Prince, his capricious wife and servants. The robber always overcame all adversities because Rumcajs and his family - his wife Manka and his son Cypisek were favorable not just for animals, but also for magical characters like Rusalka (the water-nymph), Aquarians and Giants living in the neighborhood. 

The author of the origin of Rumcajs was Vaclav Čtvrtek who described the adventures of the robber in eight volumes of his book. In Poland, translations of four books from the series of the popular robber adventures were published. The animated series O loupežníku Rumcajsovi was directed by Ladislav Čapek and the project of the characters was created by a well-known painter Radek Pilař. In Poland, the first part of the 39 episode bedtime cartoon O rozbójniku Rumcajsie was broadcast on 3 July 1970 and it was narrated by Boguslaw Sochnacki. In 1974 the musical The Adventures of Rumcajs the Robber with music by Katarzyna Gaertner and libretto by Ernest Bryll, was first shown at the Polish Theater in Warsaw. The play enjoys a remarkable success and is still very popular.[source]


The bearded guy in the red hat is Rumcajs who as a bandit, constantly fighting with an unnamed degenerated aristocrat.



This postcard was posted on 11 May 1981 from Chomutov (German: Komotau), which is a large town in the Czech Republic, in the Ústí nad Labem Region.

 

Here you can see Rumcajs with Manka, his patient wife.


 

This postcard was sent on 9 August 1981 from Karlovy Vary or Carlsbad (German: Karlsbad; Russian: Карловы Вары; Yiddish: קרלסבאד‎), which is a spa town situated in western Bohemia, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately 130 km (81 mi) west of Prague (Praha). It is named after Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River). It is the most visited spa town in the Czech Republic.


In this postcard there is  Rumcajs and his son Cipísek.



This postcard was sent on 9 October 1980 from Liberec (German: Reichenberg),located on the Lusatian Neisse and surrounded by the Jizera Mountains and Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge, it is the fifth-largest city in the Czech Republic. Settled by German and Flemish migrants from the 14th century until their expulsion after World War II, Liberec was once home to a thriving textile industry and hence nicknamed the "Manchester of Bohemia".






Finally, in this postcard you can see Cipísek playing with a green elf [?].


This postcard was sent on 17 December 1981 from Chomutov.

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