Ampelmann is a German word that means traffic light man. It was designed in 1961 by Karl Peglau, a psychologist working for the medical service in the transport system in Germany. The Ampelmann was his proposal to redesign the pedestrians’ crossing lights.
He gave the little man a nose and a hat so that pedestrians would easily sympathize with him, as it as a cute figure that people could trust. It is said that the proposal drawings were made by Peglau’s secretary, as he couldn’t draw.
One of them was drawn in red with his arms extended to the side, showing that crossing is forbidden. The other was green, taking a step, showing that crossing was allowed.
This proposal was accepted and all traffic lights in the East side of Germany started showing this little man in them. The Ampelmann became so popular that it began appearing on TV to share tips with children.
In 1989, after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, and with the two Germanies united again, the German people decided to remove any symbol that reminded them of those sad times. The pedestrian crossing lights got dismantled and the Ampelmännchen ended abandoned in the outskirts, however, not all Germans were happy with the decision.
Designer Markus Heckhausen, who grew with those little men, recovered a pair of those lights and created a decorative lamp with them. These lamps became so famous that lots of people wanted one of them. They loved the little man so much, they organised defence groups and started protesting so that this iconic figure wouldn’t be destroyed.
The result was that the Ampelmann got saved from the shredding machine and, nowadays, this little man can still be seen in some of the traffic lights in the German capital.
CURIOSITIES:
- Currently there’s also a feminine version of these traffic lights, the Ampelfrau
- In Berlin, there are Ampelmann restaurants and shops where you can buy several souvenirs, even Ampelmann-shaped candy!
