From guest slot to his own show
Wiwaldi made his first appearance in 1998. He became known on “Zimmer frei!”, a show on the German broadcaster WDR. Martin Reinl and his characters had their own slot there, and Wiwaldi interviewed the celebrity guests. In 2012, WDR launched “Die Wiwaldi Show”, with Wiwaldi himself as the host. A year later, it was nominated for the Grimme Award, one of Germany's best-known television prizes, in the entertainment category.
The cast from the screen
The Whiner, Jammerlappen in the original, is anxious and gloomy according to the maker. He is also known from children's television in Germany. On the Wiwaldi Show, the baby cockroaches appeared in a musical game of their own. They also lined up as a cockroach organ on the German family quiz show “Frag doch mal die Maus”. Horst Pferdinand, a retired circus horse, was one of the Wiwaldi Show regulars; his name hides Pferd, the German word for horse. Charming Traudl, the shy assistant, was another, and so was Kakerlak, a grumpy caretaker who ran the studio security check and spared none of the celebrity guests.
Wiwaldi as a keychain
The keychains include Wiwaldi, Horst Pferdinand, the Whiner, caretaker Kakerlak, Traudl and Hai from “Zimmer frei!”, whose German name sounds like a friendly hello. Each figure hangs from a metal attachment. Anyone who used to watch “Zimmer frei!” or the Wiwaldi Show can now carry a reminder on their keys.
Wiwaldi, the Whiner or the cockroaches?
- As host: With his movable mouth, Wiwaldi interviews the guests at an office party or a birthday. You can work his front paws too, so he waves to them.
- Someone to cheer up: The Whiner sees disaster in every small thing. At nursery he can tell the children what frightens him today, and they reassure him.
- A cockroach choir: Line up several baby cockroaches and give each one a different note to sing.
- Double act: Wiwaldi fires off the cheeky questions, and the Whiner starts trembling before he has heard them.
- Just a taste: Fans who want to start small can begin with a keychain.