Krtek, a Communist Mole, Inspires a Capitalist Dispute
PRAGUE — Around the famed Old Town Square here are souvenir shops, many displaying the same stuffed toy of a cheerful- looking mole. It is Krtek, a warmhearted cartoon mole whose adventures have entertained children in Central Europe for 60 years.
“It was something on TV that was completely different from the others,” Ondrej Hojer, 37, said of Krtek, recalling his youth in communist Czechoslovakia. The appeal endures: “My youngest one has a doll in his bed and goes to sleep with him every night,” he said.
Created in 1956 by the Czech animator Zdenek Miler, the mole first appeared in a film commissioned by the Communist Party as a way to teach children about making trousers. The silent character found huge appeal as an advocate of friendship and earned enormous
Created during the Soviet era, a toy is still lovable today.
popularity across Central Europe as a sort of Czech Mickey Mouse. ( The Disney character was forbidden throughout the Soviet Bloc.)
But now this icon of the Communist era has become the subject of a very capitalist battle in a bitter copyright suit.
After communism fell in Czechoslovakia in 1989, Krtek was free to travel. The character would spread to China, India and Japan through movies and books, spawning lucrative merchandising contracts.
Celebrating Krtek’s cultural impact and marking the 60th anniversary of the character’s first appearance, an exhibition in Prague is currently showing original drawings of the character and portraits of Mr. Miler.
However, confusion about the terms of the inheritance of Mr. Miler’s work after his death in 2011 has prompted a legal battle between relatives vying for control of a business worth millions of dollars.
Mr. Miler left a controlling stake to five of his direct relatives. Among them was his granddaughter, Karolina Milerova, who lived with Mr. Miler from the age of 14 after falling out with her mother. Ms. Milerova, now 28, says she maintained a close relationship with Mr. Miler and cooperated on projects involving Krtek.
Ms. Milerova says Mr. Miler handed her full control of all copyright, in writing, while on his deathbed. She established a new company with the intention of carrying on her grandfather’s legacy, she told the court. On October 17, the court rejected her claim, saying the language was too vague. The decision jeopardizes licenses she issued over the past six years for new Krtek products.
“My grandfather and I had a very special relationship because we lived together for 10 years. Later, we started to do some projects together related to his artwork,” Ms. Milerova said in an interview, adding that she would take her case to a higher court.
“I am the only person in the world who has this right to the future of the brand,” she said.
Her mother, Barbora Milerova, and the administrator of Mr. Miler’s inheritance, Milena Fischerova, have moved to block her from expanding Krtek’s commercial presence.
Some vendors who had contracts with Mr. Miler are also unhappy, contending with a slew of competitors granted licenses by Karolina Milerova.
Alena Samkova, director of Matejovsky, a Czech manufacturer that produces bedding with Krtek’s image, said the company is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars after the market was flooded with lower- quality replicas, she said.
“They each have a contract that has different conditions and nobody can say which is the right contract,” Ms. Samkova said. “This was not what Mr. Miler wanted.”