CIRCUS CLOWN HERMANNI started as a children’s programs on TV 2 as early as 1978. It was fun to design a clown character together with Veijo Pasanen, and somewhere I have a sketch of it also. Other characters in Circus Hepokatti were the Magician Max, Mother and the clown’s eternal object of admiration, the fortune teller Sylvia.
In those early days of production, our team could not have guessed how popular the character Pelle Hermanni would eventually become and how many generations of children have seen it as a remake over the past 44 years. Screenwriter Simo Ojala still developed new episodes, and a total of 80 episodes of 7-17 minutes were completed. At some point I switched to the IRON AGE movie production and my colleague Marjatta Härkönen continued all the rest of the episodes as a costume designer.
There is a playground in Pori named after Pelle Hermanni. Also Pelle Hermanni – summer theater plays have been made for both Helsinki’s Kivinokka and Taivallahti Summer Theater.
Cast:
Veijo Pasanen – Circus Clown Hermanni
Mother – Raili Veivo
Magician Max – Mauri Saikkonen
Fortune Teller Sylvia – Marjatta Rinne
Scripting: Simo Ojanen
Directed by: Pertti Nättilä, Juhani Nättilä
Costume Design: Riitta Riihonen (Rask)
Make-up: Sinikka Hursti
Set Design: Marjaana Pirskanen
Producer: TV 2 Children’s Program Department
