Mainzelmännchen by marburg
Forever young
A fresh kick for the children’s room, where from now on the Mainzelmännchen give the impetus for wallpapering. Anton, Berti, Conni, Det, Edi and Fritzchen will be appearing as posters, borders, tape measures or one of three wallpaper designs even after ZDF has finished broadcasting. For their 60th birthday in 2023, marburg has digitally converted the ageless “Gud’n Aamd troupe”. As cult eye-catchers for fans of several generations at once.
Probably no one would have thought the sextet, designed by graphic artist Wolf Gerlach as a so-called “advertising runner,” would have such a career when they first went on the air in black and white in April 1963. But they creatively reconciled the Cologne brownies with the ZDF broadcasting location and advanced just as effortlessly to mascots as comic heroes – and not only in the children’s room.
Good reason for a colorful homage to the round birthday, which marburg presents as a collection of 3 designs in 0.53 m width with color-coordinated plains and five block stripe variants for versatile mix & match. The full-surface motifs, which can be seamlessly wallpapered using a conical edge cut, are complemented by a poster (159 x 159 m, consisting of three strips), 1 measuring tape and 6 borders in two widths (2 x 13 cm and 4 x 17 cm, two of which can be colored).
Mainzelmännchen
Thematically, in addition to the kicking Mainzels and a soccer motif, the heads of the six as a cheeky allover or (coloring) border and their “team lineup” colored or for self-coloring to choose from. All are applied with solvent-free oil-based inks and are highly wash-resistant and UV-resistant. They are characterized by brilliant print quality, the aura of which is further enhanced by the almost textile-like feel of the carrier material. The advantage of using wallpaper in wallcovering techniques, such as for use in children’s rooms, is its robust character. Ullrich Eitel can imagine the ZDF or the city of Mainz as a target group in addition to specialist retailers, wholesalers and DIY stores: “Of course, children are primarily addressed, but fans of the first hour could enjoy the light-hearted retro effect just as much.” The collection will be available from the fall.
