Mr. Prokouk (Czech: Pan Prokouk) is a character created by Karel Zeman for a series of Czech animated short films in the 1940s and 1950s.
Prokouk, a stop-motion animation puppet made of wood,[1] is a sympathetic, irrepressible everyman character[2] with a bristling mustache, a long nose,[3] and a pork pie hat.[4] The French newspaper Le Monde described the character as an "animated cousin" of Jacques Tati's character Monsieur Hulot,[5] and the catalogue of a 2001 Karel Zeman retrospective at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive suggested that Prokouk might be taken as Zeman's alter ego.[4] The short films in which he appears are comic[6] with a didactic touch.[1]
The character first appeared in the 1946 short Podkova pro štěstí ("Horseshoe for Luck").[5][7]
Prokouk became the most well-known character in Czech animated cinema[8] and a familiar figure in Czech culture.[1][5] The films were especially popular with young audiences.[9]
The following table is based on information from the Karel Zeman Museum's filmography.[7]
| Year | Czech title | English title |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1946 | Pan Prokouk: Podkova pro štěstí | Mr. Prokouk: A Horseshoe for Luck |
| June 17, 1947 | Pan Prokouk ouřaduje | Mr. Prokouk, The Office Clerk |
| September 1, 1947 | Pan Prokouk v pokušení | Mr. Prokouk in Temptation |
| 1947 | Pan Prokouk na brigádě | Mr. Prokouk, The Volunteer |
| January 1, 1948 | Pan Prokouk filmuje | Mr. Prokouk, The Filmmaker |
| July 23, 1949 | Pan Prokouk vynálezcem | Mr. Prokouk, The Inventor |
| 1955 | Pan Prokouk, přítel zvířátek | Mr. Prokouk, The Animal Lover |
| August 28, 1957 | Pan Prokouk detektivem | Mr. Prokouk, The Detective |
| 1959 | Pan Prokouk akrobatem | Mr. Prokouk, The Acrobat |
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Films directed by Karel Zeman
| |
|---|---|
| Feature films |
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| Short films |
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