Magyar Posta is issuing a numbered special souvenir sheet on the theme of Cartoon and Fairy Tale Characters using the characters of the animated television series Mazsola and Tádé, produced in the MTV studio, the creation of the writer Ágnes Bálint, the puppet designer Vera Bródy and the set designer Sándor Lévai. Fifty thousand copies of the souvenir sheet designed by the graphic artist István Weisenburger were produced by the banknote printing company Pénzjegynyomda Zrt. The new issue will be released on 2 September 2022.
Mazsola (Raisin) the little pig unexpectedly gets a younger brother, and sulkily and jealously watches as Manócska the elf shares his love between him and the newcomer, Tádé (Thaddeus) the guinea pig. Then, just like children do, he grows to love his little brother and understands that Manócska loves him no less than when he was the only one. The stories performed with lovable puppets and a gentle sense of humour set a fine example of how to resolve everyday conflicts for children and adults alike.
There were two seasons of the Hungarian Television puppet series Mazsola and Tádé made between 1969 and 1973 as a sequel to the puppet television series Mazsola 1 to 3 (1964-66), which were first aired by Hungarian Television between 1969 and 1971. The series was written by Ágnes Bálint, and the puppets were designed by Vera Bródy and the sets by Sándor Lévai.
The three stamps of the special souvenir sheet show the main characters: Mazsola in the left stamp, Manócska in the middle stamp and Tádé in the right stamp. The pumpkin house and some other characters appear in the frame of the sheet: Uncle Crow, Little Mouse, Menyus the bear, and Mazsola’s friend, Mole. On the special cover, to mark the 100th anniversary of her birth, Ágnes Bálint is shown playing with the figure of Mazsola. Stylised portraits of Mazsola and Tádé feature in the postmark.
Ágnes Bálint (1922-2008) was a Hungarian writer, editor, dramaturge, and winner of the József Attila Prize. Her writings were published when she was only 14 and her first children’s book was published at the age of 19. She worked for Hungarian Television from 1958 until her retirement in 1986. From 1961, she wrote puppet shows and later worked as a scriptwriter for cartoons. In 1968 she launched the first programme promoting environmental awareness, Kuckó. Later, she published several books as well as translations, and her own works were also published in foreign languages. In 1997 she was awarded the Small Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary and in 2016 the Hungarian Heritage Prize.
An interesting feature of the souvenir sheet is that, after scanning the QR code on it, information can be accessed about the stamps of the series published so far, the tales presented and their creators.
