De Fabeltjeskrant Returns: All 1,600 Episodes Now on YouTube
“Dag lieve kijkbuiskinderen, oogjes dicht en snaveltjes toe.” For generations of Dutch and Flemish viewers, these words from Meneer de Uil evoke instant nostalgia. Now, the legendary children’s television series De Fabeltjeskrant is reaching a new audience, as all 1,600 original episodes are being made available on YouTube in restored image and sound quality.
The first 10 episodes were posted online on the evening of August 18, with one new episode being added daily from August 19 until all seasons are fully available, according to VRT NWS.
A 20-Year Restoration Project
The digitization initiative comes from producer Robin de Levita, whose father Loek de Levita co-created the program over half a century ago. “The main characters from De Fabeltjeskrant are etched in the Dutch collective memory, and also in mine,” de Levita told NOS. “I am incredibly happy that it has finally succeeded.”
The restoration took 20 years to complete, with all original episodes from the Beeld & Geluid archive fully digitized and technically improved. Colors have been optimized and the series has received a modern look while preserving the familiar stories, voices, and characteristic atmosphere. The collaboration involved producer Robin de Levita, marketing company Monks, and Dutch YouTuber Jordi van den Bussche, also known as Kwebbelkop, as nieuws.nl reported.
A Cultural Institution
De Fabeltjeskrant first aired on Dutch television on September 29, 1968, and quickly became a daily ritual for children just before bedtime. The short 4-5 minute episodes, narrated by the wise Meneer de Uil, reported on the daily events in the Grote Dierenbos (Great Animal Forest), with puppet characters including Bor de Wolf, Juffrouw Ooievaar, and Lowieke de Vos.
Created by writer Leen Valkenier, who based the main characters on people from Rotterdam’s Vreewijk neighborhood, the series was notable for addressing contemporary themes such as housing shortages, emancipation, and environmental pollution. As TVgids.nl notes, the show’s appeal extended well beyond children, with adults drawn to its clever social commentary and political satire.
“There were all kinds of funny quips and references to our society,” said Fabeltjeskrant expert Patrick Bremmers. “The hippies, for example, were covered through the character Rocus de Vrije Vogel. The society you saw ten minutes later in the adult news, you first saw in De Fabeltjeskrant.”
The program’s cultural impact has been remarkable. Between 1 and 2 million people watched daily during its original run, and it was broadcast in 40 countries worldwide. In 1969, it won the Gouden Televizier-Ring, and in 2005 it was voted the best children’s program of the 20th century in the Netherlands, according to Wikipedia.
Preserving Cultural Heritage
For de Levita, the project is deeply personal. “The big motivation behind all this is that my father, together with Thijs Chanowski, produced the series. It was his life’s work,” he said. “My father built his whole life around making something beautiful, something loving.”
“I think it’s wonderful that this unique series has been preserved thanks to the care of Beeld & Geluid,” de Levita added. “This means an important piece of cultural heritage has been preserved for future generations. The gentle moral of the Great Animal Forest wrapped in humor still has a magical, connecting effect. Themes like friendship, curiosity, living together and accepting each other are just as relevant today.”
The iconic puppets, including Meneer de Uil, Bor de Wolff, Juffrouw Ooievaar, and Lowieke de Vos, are still exhibited at the Museum Beeld en Geluid, as noted by KinderTV Geheugen.
What’s Next
The YouTube release marks the latest chapter in the series’ long revival history. Previous iterations included a family musical in 2007 that won the John Kraaijkamp Musical Award, a computer-animated film in 2018 for the 50th anniversary, and a new animated series on Netflix in 2019, as reported by Broadcast Magazine and TVgids.nl.
A new animated series set in the De Fabeltjeskrant universe is also currently in development. Meanwhile, fans old and new can follow the daily releases on the official YouTube channel, where the first episodes are already drawing thousands of views. As Meneer de Uil would say: the Fabeltjeskrant is back, and the Great Animal Forest is open for business once again.