For any kid growing up in Communist and 1990s Czechoslovakia (and after the split, the Czech Republic and Slovakia), the daily routine before going to bed consisted of sitting down in front of the television at around 18:45 (before the daily news, which was what the grown-ups were waiting for) and turning on CT1 (in the Czech part of the country) or STV1 (in the Slovak part). That was when Večerníček came on. Večerníček is still shown in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, however it has lost its cult status now, as kids now have a choice of a wide variety of channels showing cartoons (as well as the internet). However, for a large part of today’s adults, Večerníček was a part of their daily life when they were kids. The show consists of a short cartoon (or children’s show with puppets) lasting around 5 to 10 minutes. Throughout its long run, a wide variety of animated cartoons were shown, many of them going on to achieve cult status.
Each Večerníček starts with a short opening. In the Czech Republic (and the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, when the country was still together), the opening part consists of a small boy riding a car, then a wooden horse and a bike. In the Slovak Republic (and the Slovak part of Czechoslovakia), the opening part consists of old Grandpa Večerníček going with his dog and turning on the stars in the sky. Each Večerníček also has an ending part which features these characters.
Czech Večerníček
Slovak Večerníček
How to Draw 