Mike, der Taschengeldexperte
Encyclopedia
Mike, der Taschengeldexperte (German
for "Mike, the allowance expert") was a German
promotional comic series, which was published every two months from 1978 to 2007. The comic was distributed free of charge by credit union
banks, along with the comics Sumsi and Marc & Penny, to attract young prospective customers for the bank. The comic ran for 175 issues over 29 years.
Since July 2007, the comic has been followed by a sequel called Primax, where Mike and his girlfriend Tina have new adventures along with figures from the comic Marc & Penny.
Mike was created by the German comics artist
s Mali Beinhorn and Werner Büsch from the Büsch-Beinhorn studio from Emsdetten
. Other contributors to the comic included Jan Gulbransson, Gabriel Nemeth, Hansi Kiefersauer and Ralph Ruthe.
The comic was last produced by the advertising agency genokom from Münster
in Westphalia
, which also publishes the sequel comic Primax together with the DG VERLAG.
The comic was also translated into Finnish
as Hakki Hamsteri ("Hakki the hamster
") and distributed free of charge by the Finnish
bank Kansallis-Osake-Pankki
from 1984 to 1995.
al German town of Sülzberg. Mike Hamsterbacke (eng. "Hamstercheek") lives here together with his father Alfred in a small house. His best friends are Birne, a living light bulb from China
and the academic Dr. Karl Höhn, a mixture between a mouse
and a bird
. Since issue 02/1989 Mike also has a girlfriend called Tina, who he met in a sausage
factory owned by Gottlieb Grunz, where she was working as the company nurse.
Since issue 05/1982, Mike has had an enemy called Girerschlund Wolf, a notorious villain
and thief, who has dedicated his entire life to Mike's downfall. However, his own incompetence and overconfidence always foil his plans.
A typical Mike story often begins my Mike's father looking for an assistant job in the town newspaper ("Sülzberger Bote") for his son, so that he can "improve his allowance". Mike starts on this job with such euphoria
so that in the end, something goes horribly wrong and Mike is fired from his new job.
Since issue 11/1986, the concept was changed, with many Mike stories being adventures, where Mike travels throughout the world with Dr. Karl Höhn.
Since issue 04/1997, around half of the contents consist of reprints of older stories (from 1986 onwards). The comic was cancelled in issue 03/2007.
The story consists of a camping trip that Mike, Dr. Karl Höhn and Birne go on together, into the idyllic dwarf forest. When they arrive at the camping site, Karl goes to fetch firewood, falls down into a hole and is rescued by friendly Waldläufer Wurzelwarz. Mike and Birne go to search for Dr. Höhn and also fall down the same hole. Thus begins a genuine fantasy
epic with dwarfs, dragon
s, elves
, a fabulous golden key and an evil sorcerer called Feuerbart and his demonic troops.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "Mike, the allowance expert") was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
promotional comic series, which was published every two months from 1978 to 2007. The comic was distributed free of charge by credit union
Credit union
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
banks, along with the comics Sumsi and Marc & Penny, to attract young prospective customers for the bank. The comic ran for 175 issues over 29 years.
Since July 2007, the comic has been followed by a sequel called Primax, where Mike and his girlfriend Tina have new adventures along with figures from the comic Marc & Penny.
Mike was created by the German comics artist
Comics artist
A comics artist is an artist working within the comics medium on comic strips, comic books or graphic novels. The term may refer to any number of artists who contribute to produce a work in the comics form, from those who oversee all aspects of the work to those who contribute only a part.-Comic...
s Mali Beinhorn and Werner Büsch from the Büsch-Beinhorn studio from Emsdetten
Emsdetten
Emsdetten is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Geography :Emsdetten is situated on the river Ems, approx...
. Other contributors to the comic included Jan Gulbransson, Gabriel Nemeth, Hansi Kiefersauer and Ralph Ruthe.
The comic was last produced by the advertising agency genokom from Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
in Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, which also publishes the sequel comic Primax together with the DG VERLAG.
The comic was also translated into Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
as Hakki Hamsteri ("Hakki the hamster
Hamster
Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera....
") and distributed free of charge by the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
bank Kansallis-Osake-Pankki
Kansallis-Osake-Pankki
Kansallis-Osake-Pankki was a Finnish commercial bank operating from 1889 to 1995. It was created by the fennoman movement as a Finnish language alternative to the largely Swedish language bank, Suomen Yhdyspankki . The two banks were merged in 1995 to form the Merita Bank...
from 1984 to 1995.
Contents
The comic takes place in the fictionFiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al German town of Sülzberg. Mike Hamsterbacke (eng. "Hamstercheek") lives here together with his father Alfred in a small house. His best friends are Birne, a living light bulb from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the academic Dr. Karl Höhn, a mixture between a mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
and a bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. Since issue 02/1989 Mike also has a girlfriend called Tina, who he met in a sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
factory owned by Gottlieb Grunz, where she was working as the company nurse.
Since issue 05/1982, Mike has had an enemy called Girerschlund Wolf, a notorious villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
and thief, who has dedicated his entire life to Mike's downfall. However, his own incompetence and overconfidence always foil his plans.
A typical Mike story often begins my Mike's father looking for an assistant job in the town newspaper ("Sülzberger Bote") for his son, so that he can "improve his allowance". Mike starts on this job with such euphoria
Euphoria
Euphoria is an emotional and mental state defined as a sense of great elation and well being.Euphoria may also refer to:* Euphoria , a genus of scarab beetles* Euphoria, a genus name previously used for the longan and other trees...
so that in the end, something goes horribly wrong and Mike is fired from his new job.
Since issue 11/1986, the concept was changed, with many Mike stories being adventures, where Mike travels throughout the world with Dr. Karl Höhn.
Since issue 04/1997, around half of the contents consist of reprints of older stories (from 1986 onwards). The comic was cancelled in issue 03/2007.
Mike and the secret of the dwarf forest
The longest story ever to be published is the multi-part story Mike und das Geheimnis des Zwergenwaldes ("Mike and the secret of the dwarf forest"). It was published from issue 05/1979 to issue 03/1982 and consisted of 18 episodes over 130 pages.The story consists of a camping trip that Mike, Dr. Karl Höhn and Birne go on together, into the idyllic dwarf forest. When they arrive at the camping site, Karl goes to fetch firewood, falls down into a hole and is rescued by friendly Waldläufer Wurzelwarz. Mike and Birne go to search for Dr. Höhn and also fall down the same hole. Thus begins a genuine fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
epic with dwarfs, dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s, elves
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
, a fabulous golden key and an evil sorcerer called Feuerbart and his demonic troops.