Revival
The show was revived as a direct-to-DVD movie in 2007 and released by Sony BMG. Just like Wielie Walie, it was the first of Louise Smit's original creations to be redone. Haas Das hou konsert (Haas Das holds a concert), a movie based on the new book by Smit, was all about Koning Leeu (King Lion) having a terrible headache from all the animals' complaints, and Haas Das organising a concert in his honour to make him feel better. All of the original animated characters were recreated as puppets for this production, and even a few new characters were added, like Boeboe Bobbejaan (Boeboe Baboon) and Stinkie Muishond (Stinky Skunk). The new puppet versions of Haas Das and Piet Muis were designed and made by Althea Oelofse while some of the other puppets were supplied by Antoinette Snyman, Morgwyn Fourie and Elize Jordan. Riaan Cruywagen returned as voice talent. Gert Van Tonder from Wielie Walie makes a guest appearance.
New voice cast
Haas Das: Riaan Cruywagen
Piet Muis: Jan Wolmarans (speaking), Annaretha Naude (singing)
Koning Leeu: Rouel Beukes
Grootoom Flapoor Olifant: Nic De Jager
Bettina Bobbejaan: Annaretha Naude
BoeBoe Bobbejaan: Dulinda Pieters
Bakkies Bobbejaan: Dulinda Pieters
Kleinstinkie Muishond: Verna Vels
Moeder Raaf: Nic De Jager (speaking), Riana van Vollenhoven (singing)
Other appearances
Haas Das and Piet Muis (the show's original puppets) appeared in the ads for the KKNK (Klein Karoo Nationale Kunstefees/Klein Karoo National Arts Festival) in 2002, where he announced the festival. The ads included TV ads and posters. On the TV ads he was a news reader at DNN (Diere Nuus Netwerk/Animal News Network), but on the posters he was seen as a DJ sitting at a spinning table, instead of his well-known news desk.
After that he also performed shows at arts festivals, with puppets made by Hansie Visagie, in his own unique style.
Haas Das also recently appeared in an ad-campaign for ATKV/Pendoring to promote Afrikaans. He is pictured as a fat bum in a living room, on a couch with cans all around him (with the name "Das bier/Das beer" on the cans), but here he is not a puppet, he is a full body costume/puppet resembling the original puppet. The campaign shows what happens to the characters when if the language is unused or extinct. This is the usual message of the ATKV (Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuur Vereeniging/Afrikaans Language and Culture Organisation).
Blackface is the practice of performers using burnt cork or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a global perspective that includes European culture and Western colonialism. Scholars with this wider view may date the practice of blackface to as early as Medieval Europe's mystery plays when bitumen and coal were used to darken the skin of white performers portraying demons, devils, and damned souls. Still others date the practice to English Renaissance theatre to works such as William Shakespeare's Othello.
Television in South Africa was introduced in 1976. The country is notable for the late introduction of widespread television broadcasting.
Sea Point is an affluent and densely populated suburb of Cape Town, situated in the Western Cape, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District (CBD). Moving from Sea Point to the CBD, one passes first through the small suburb of Three Anchor Bay, then Green Point. Seaward from Green Point is the area known as Mouille Point, where the local lighthouse is situated. It borders to the southwest the suburb of Bantry Bay. It is known for its large Jewish population, synagogues, and kosher food options.
Riaan Cruywagen is a South African television news reader and voice artist who has been associated with the South African Broadcasting Corporation since its first television broadcasts in 1975. Cruywagen continued to present the Afrikaans news on the SABC network every weeknight until his final broadcast on SABC 2 on 26 November 2012 at 7pm CAT. He has made approximately 7000 news broadcasts.
Wielie Walie was an Afrikaans children's variety programme created by unknown featuring puppets, which was broadcast from the launch of television in South Africa in 1976. With Karel and Sarel, two best friends but always fighting. Bennie always ready to read a story, and the duck and the socks chatting. Bennie was called by the bee, blowing his trumpet and the flowers, singing for him to come up from his underground library. All of these characters lived in a playroom and a park, with Oom Gert and Tannie Magda. The name "Wielie Walie" also comes from a well known South African children's song, which ended up being the theme song for the show.
Louise Smit is a South African writer of children's books and creator and director of children's television programmes and characters.
Verna Barbara Robertson Vels was a South African writer and radio/television personality. She was responsible for programs on art and programs concerning youth. She was closely involved in the planning of television programs for the establishment of the Afrikaans service and started the children's magazine. Her most famous work was Liewe Heksie; the stories were originally written for radio and later published and edited for television and video.
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
