Goodbye, Father of the Mole

Krtek, a_snub-nosed, wide-eyed_mole, has delighted cartoon lovers around the world for more than 50 years. Gently, cheerfully and almost always wordlessly, Krtek came to the aid of those in need and_lamentedthe destruction of the environment.

Zdenek Miler, creator of the little mole character died on the last day of November, 2011. He was 90.

In the 1950s, Miler was looking for a new character for a new film, that would not be used by anyone else. In 1956, he created Krtek after walking in woods and tripping over a molehill. “Walt Disney used almost all animals for his cartoons but one.” Miler said， “That was chosen by me.”

The mole doesnt speak and uses just _exclamations to express his feelings, a _{strategy resonates} well with the international audiences. The very first _episode titled “How the Mole Got His Trousers” was an immediate hit, winning the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in Italy. Since then, 50 episodes have been made, attracting children in different countries, such as Germany, China and India. More than 5 million copies of books with the mole adventures translated into 20 languages have been sold worldwide as well as numerous mole toys.

“When I draw Krtek I am drawing myself.” Miler once said，“He never disappointed me, he made me happy all my life.”

snub短扁上翹的

mole鼴鼠

lament為……傷心

exclamation 感嘆詞

resonate 引起共鳴

episode （連續劇的）一集