Karlsson-on-the-Roof

Karlsson-on-the-Roof

Karlsson with Lillebror (little brother) on a Russian stamp (1992).
Karlsson-on-the-Roof Karlsson Flies Again Karlsson-on-the-Roof is Sneaking Around Again
Author	Astrid Lindgren
Original title	Karlsson på taket
Country	Sweden
Language	Swedish
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)

Karlsson-on-the-Roof (Swedish: Karlsson på taket) is a character who figures in a series of children's books by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. A cartoon adaptation of the series became popular in the Soviet Union when it was released in the 1970s. These adaptations are still celebrated as an integral part of the Russian cartoon industry. Karlsson, together with Cheburashka and other such characters, are recognized as a national icon. Lindgren may have borrowed the idea for the series from a similar story about Mr. O'Malley in the comic strip "Barnaby" (1942) by Crockett Johnson.^[1]

Plot

Karlsson is a very short, portly, overconfident man who lives in a small house hidden behind a chimney on the roof of a very ordinary apartment building on a very ordinary street in Vasastan, Stockholm. When Karlsson pushes a button on his stomach, it starts a clever little motor with a propeller on his back, allowing him to fly. Karlsson is the best at everything, at least by his own account. In actual fact there is one thing at which he excels: being a playmate to a young boy named Svante, nicknamed Lillebror (little brother), who lives in the apartment building with his family.

Karlsson is quite mischievous, often getting Lillebror in trouble, but everyone in the end – even Lillebror's family, his cranky uncle, and their dour housekeeper Freken Bok – grow to like Karlsson and appreciate his sense of humor, energy, and good nature.

Series

There are three Karlsson-on-the-Roof books:

• 1955: Karlsson-on-the-Roof ( ISBN 0670411779)
• 1962: Karlsson Flies Again
• 1968: Karlsson-on-the-Roof is Sneaking Around Again

Adaptations

The characters from the Soviet animated film directed by Boris Stepantsev depicted on a Russian stamp, 2012.

There have been several film versions of the series. A live-action version, Världens bästa Karlsson, was released in Sweden in 1974, as was an animated film in 2002.

The two Soviet animated films, directed by Boris Stepantsev at Soyuzmultfilm studio in 1968 and 1970, are among the most celebrated and loved cartoons in Russia and other ex-Soviet countries. Karlsson was voiced by Vasily Livanov, Lillebror by Klara Rumyanova and Fröken Hildur Bock by Faina Ranevskaya in both animated films. In 1971, the character was also adapted for the Soviet stage at the Moscow Satire Theatre, where Karlsson was portrayed by Spartak Mishulin.

Merchandise

The Russian designer Lev Razumovsky created a Karlsson toy ^[2] in the 1970s. The Belarusian OJSC Minsk Watch Plant manufactured Luch-branded watches with a depiction of Karlsson on the dial.

References