On September 19, 1976, „Maya the Bee“ was seen for the first time on Austrian television. ORF aired the series ten days after its premiere on German ZDF on September 9, 1976.

For many generations, Maja, her friend Willi, and the famous theme song became solid childhood memories. On the 50th anniversary, it’s worth taking a look at the history of the cult series.

The character did not originate from television. The writer Waldemar Bonsels published „Maya the Bee and Her Adventures“ as early as 1912.

When Maja started on ORF in 1976, she was already 64 years old. However, a well-known character from the TV series was not yet in the book: Willi.

Bonsels himself is also historically controversial today because of his anti-Semitic writings during the Nazi era.

The classic series was created as a German-Austrian-Japanese co-production. In Japan, it had already been airing since April 1975 on the TV Asahi channel.

The curious Maja is at the center. Together with Willi, she experiences numerous adventures. For example, she helps the grasshopper Flip, gets caught in the web of the spider Thekla, or supports the millipede Hironimus.

In total, the classic series comprises 104 episodes. After the first 52 episodes, 26 more were added in 1979 and 1980, respectively.

The decisive impulse came from Josef Göhlen, the then head of the ZDF children’s and youth program. He had already initiated „Wickie and the Strong Men“ as an anime series.

The idea for Maja is said to have originated in a Munich taxi in 1974. Göhlen and his ORF colleague Herbert Hauk were looking for new material and eventually decided on the bee.

The scripts were created in Los Angeles. The drawings were done at Nippon Animation in Japan.

„In a Unknown Land“ is still inextricably linked to Maya the Bee. The song was sung by Karel Gott, and the music was composed by Karel Svoboda.

According to Gott, he initially did not expect the song to become so successful in Germany. Later, it became a regular part of his concerts.

The recording is said to have come about rather by chance. A planned coffee with Svoboda quickly turned into a studio session. According to Gott, the recording was finished in about half an hour.

Maja stands for curiosity, friendship, and adventure. Additionally, there is a main character who approaches the world with confidence.

Michael Stumpf, head of the ZDF children’s and youth editorial team, also points to openness, tolerance, and respectful interaction as central elements of the Maja world.

Perhaps this is exactly where the longevity of the series lies: The stories work for children without making their world unnecessarily complicated.

For its 50th birthday, the classic series is once again taking center stage. In Germany, ZDFneo has been showing the first season chronologically since August 28. From Monday to Friday, two episodes air each early morning.

Subsequently, the episodes are available for a few weeks in the ZDF streaming offer.

In addition, there has long been a modern version. Between 2013 and 2017, a computer-animated series was created. The theme song of this 3D version was sung by Helene Fischer.

For many fans, however, the classic Maja with her 1970s look and Karel Gott’s theme song remains the defining version.

September 19, 1976 marks the beginning of a special television history for Austria. Since its ORF premiere, the little bee has accompanied several generations.

50 years later, Maja is still well-known. And at least one thing has remained: The journey „to an unknown land“ begins for many to this day with the first notes of the famous song.

(Ed.)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article .