- Ampelmännchen
audio|de-Ampelmännchen.ogg|"Ampelmännchen" ( _de. little traffic light man) is the symbolic person shown on
traffic lights atpedestrian crossing s in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR -East Germany ). The red "Ampelmännchen" extends his arms to signal "stop," and the green "Ampelmännchen" confidently strides ahead to signal "go."The shapes of the "Ampelmännchen" are standardised, and indeed are conceptually similar to those used in other countries. Prior to the
reunification of Germany , there were different forms used in the two German states, with those originating in the former GDR being particularly distinctive. In contrast to the generic human figure used inWest Germany , the figure in the east is generally held to be male, and wears a hat. The "Ampelmännchen" later became a character on an East German television program used in drivers' education.Following German unification in 1990, there were attempts to standardise all traffic signals to the West German forms, leading to calls to save the East German "Ampelmännchen". It thus became a kind of
mascot for the East German nostalgia movement, known as "Ostalgie ". The protests were successful, and the "Ampelmännchen" returned to pedestrian crossings, including western districts of Berlin. Some western German cities, such asSaarbrücken orHeidelberg , have since adopted the design.History
The
East Berlin "Ampelmann" was created in1961 by traffic psychologistKarl Peglau . He theorised that people would respond better to the traffic signals if they were presented by a friendly character, instead of meaningless coloured lights. However, Peglau is said to have feared initially that the design might be rejected because of its "petit bourgeois " hat.In
2004 , a female counterpart, the "Ampelfrau", appeared inZwickau . It can also be found today inDresden Fact|date=March 2008.External links
* [http://www.ampelmann.de/index_english.html "Ampelmann"]
* [http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=26&story_id=21927 Article about the "Ampelmännchen"]
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