Editing Max and Moritz

{{Short description|German language illustrated story in verse}}
{{Italic title}}
{{other uses}}
{{use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
[[File:Max und Moritz.JPG|thumb|Max and Moritz.]]
'''''Max and Moritz: A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks''''' (original: ''Max und Moritz – Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen'') is a [[German language]] illustrated story in verse. It was written and illustrated by [[Wilhelm Busch]] and published in 1865, and has since had significant cultural impact, both in German-speaking countries, where the story has been passed down through generations, but on the wider world, after translation into many languages. It has been adapted for film and television, as well as inspiring comic strips and children's TV characters.
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==Description==
''Max and Moritz: A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks'' is an inventive, [[Black comedy|blackly humorous]] tale, told entirely in rhymed [[couplets]], about two boys who play pranks. It was written and illustrated by [[Wilhelm Busch]] and published in 1865. It is among the early works of Busch, yet it already featured many substantial, effectually aesthetic and formal regularities, procedures and basic patterns of Busch's later works.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ruby |first=Daniel |title=Schema und Variation – Untersuchungen zum Bildergeschichtenwerk Wilhelm Buschs |publisher=Europäische Hochschulschriften |location=Frankfurt am Main |year=1998 |isbn=3-631-49725-3 |page=11 |language=de}}</ref> 

Many familiar with [[comic strip]] history consider it to have been the direct inspiration for the ''[[Katzenjammer Kids]]'' and ''[[Quick & Flupke]]''. The German title satirises the German custom of giving a subtitle to the name of dramas in the form of "Ein Drama in ... Akten" (''A Drama in ... Acts''), which became dictum in colloquial usage for any event with an unpleasant or dramatic course, such as "Bundespräsidentenwahl - Ein Drama in drei Akten" ("[[Federal Convention (Germany)|Federal Presidential Elections]] - A drama in three acts").<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,703940,00.html |title=The German presidential elections in June 2010 |newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=July 2010 |access-date=2010-08-02 |language=de|last1=Medick |first1=Veit |last2=Gathmann |first2=Florian }}</ref>
=== The pranks ===
There have been several English translations of the original German verses over the years, but all have maintained the original [[trochaic tetrameter]]:

==== Preface ====
Ah, how oft we read or hear of <br>
Boys we almost stand in fear of!<br>
For example, take these stories<br>
Of two youths, named Max and Moritz,<br>
Who, instead of early turning<br>
Their young minds to useful learning,<br>
Often leered with horrid features<br>
At their lessons and their teachers.
[[File:Max_und_Moritz_tinted_3.png|thumb|The widow's four chickens (first trick)]]
[[File:Max_und_Moritz_tinted_21.png|thumb|The widow's house (second trick)]]
Look now at the empty head: he<br>
Is for mischief always ready.<br>
Teasing creatures - climbing fences,<br>
Stealing apples, pears, and quinces,<br>
Is, of course, a deal more pleasant,<br>
And far easier for the present,<br>
Than to sit in schools or churches,<br>
Fixed like roosters on their perches

But O dear, O dear, O deary,<br>
When the end comes sad and dreary!<br>
'Tis a dreadful thing to tell<br>
That on Max and Moritz fell!<br>
All they did this book rehearses,<br>
Both in pictures and in verses.

==== First Trick: The Widow ====
The boys tie several crusts of bread together with thread, and lay this trap in the chicken yard of Bolte (or "Tibbets" in the English version), an old widow, causing all the chickens to become fatally entangled.

This prank is remarkably similar to the eighth history of the classic German prankster tales of [[Till Eulenspiegel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/?id=5&xid=229&kapitel=9&cHash=b7aed406c52#gb_found |title=8th history of Till Eulenspiegel |access-date=2010-08-02 |language=de}}</ref>

==== Second Trick: The Widow II ====
As the widow cooks her chickens, the boys sneak onto her roof. When she leaves her kitchen momentarily, the boys steal the chickens using a fishing pole down the chimney. The widow hears her dog barking and hurries upstairs, finds the hearth empty and beats the dog.

==== Third Trick: The Tailor ====
[[File:Max und Moritz (Busch) 029.png|thumb|Sawing through the bridge planks (third trick)]]
The boys torment Böck (or "Buck" in the English version), a well-liked tailor who has a fast stream flowing in front of his house. They saw through the planks of his wooden bridgelet, making a precarious gap, then taunt him by making goat noises (a pun on his name being similar to the zoological expression 'buck'; in the English version, they use his name for a straight pun), until he runs outside. The bridge breaks; the tailor is swept away and nearly drowns (but for two geese, which he grabs a hold of and which fly high to safety).

Although Till removes the planks of the bridge instead of sawing them, there are some similarities to Till Eulenspiegel (32nd History).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/?id=5&xid=229&kapitel=33&cHash=b7aed406c5eulen32#gb_found|title=32nd history of Till Eulenspiegel|access-date=2010-08-02|language=de}}</ref>

==== Fourth Trick: The Teacher ====
[[File:Max und Moritz (Busch) 045.png|thumb|The teacher with his pipe (fourth trick)]]
While their devout teacher, Lämpel, is busy at church, the boys invade his home and fill his favorite pipe with gunpowder. When he lights the pipe, the blast knocks him unconscious, blackens his skin and burns away all his hair. But: "Time that comes will quick repair; yet the pipe retains its share."

==== Fifth Trick: The Uncle ====
[[File:Max und Moritz (Busch) 057.png|thumb|The uncle and the May bugs (fifth trick)]]
The boys collect bags full of [[Cockchafer|May bugs]], which they promptly deposit in their Uncle Fritz's bed. Uncle is nearly asleep when he feels the bugs walking on his nose. Horrified, he goes into a frenzy, killing them all before going back to sleep.

==== Sixth Trick: The Baker ====
[[File:Max und Moritz (Busch) 076.png|thumb|The baker with Max and Moritz covered in dough (sixth trick)]]
The boys invade a closed bakery to steal some Easter sweets. Attempting to steal pretzels, they fall into a vat of dough. The baker returns, catches the breaded pair, and bakes them. But they survive, and escape by gnawing through their crusts.

==== Final Trick: The Farmer ====
[[File:Max und Moritz (Busch) 092.png|thumb|The fate of Max and Moritz (final trick)]]
Hiding out in the grain storage area of a farmer, Mecke (unnamed in the English version), the boys slit some grain sacks. Carrying away one of the sacks, farmer Mecke immediately notices the problem. He puts the boys in the sack instead, then takes it to the mill. The boys are ground to bits and devoured by the miller's ducks. Later, no one expresses regret.

== Legacy and cultural significance==
Busch's classic tale of the terrible duo (now in the [[public domain]]) has since become a proud part of the culture in German-speaking countries. Even today, parents usually read these tales to their not-yet-literate children. To this day in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, a certain familiarity with the story and its rhymes is still presumed, as it is often referenced in mass communication. The two leering faces are synonymous with mischief, and appear almost logo-like in advertising and even [[graffiti]].{{cn|date=August 2023}}

''Max and Moritz'' is the first published original foreign children's book in Japan, translated into [[rōmaji]] by Shinjirō Shibutani and Kaname Oyaizu in 1887 as ''{{lang|ja-Latn|Wanpaku monogatari}}'' ("Naughty stories").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kotenseki/html/he22/he22_07214/index.html|title=Wanpaku monogatari|access-date=2010-08-02|language=ja}}</ref>

During [[World War I]], the Red Baron, [[Manfred von Richthofen]], named his dog Moritz, giving the name Max to another animal given to his friend.<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=The red air fighter|author=Richthofen, M.|date=1972|publisher=Arno Press|isbn=9780405037849|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wHfzAAAAMAAJ|access-date=2015-06-14}}</ref>

The two [[Sturer Emil]] vehicles produced in World War II were named Max and Moritz by their crews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sturer Emil: a Rare Specimen from Stalingrad |url=https://warspot.net/438-sturer-emil-a-rare-specimen-from-stalingrad |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=warspot.net |language=en|url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914163705/https://warspot.net/438-sturer-emil-a-rare-specimen-from-stalingrad| archive-date= 14 September 2021}}</ref> 

After [[World War II]], German-U.S. composer [[Richard Mohaupt]], together with choreographer {{ill|Alfredo Bortoluzzi|de}}, created {{ill|Max und Moritz (Mohaupt)|lt=Max und Moritz|italics=yes|de}}, a [[burlesque dance]] ({{langx|de|Tanzburleske|italics=no}}), which premiered at [[Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe]] on 18 December 1949.<ref>Otto Friedrich Regner, Heinz-Ludwig Schneiders: ''Reclams Ballettführer''. 8. Auflage. Reclam, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3-15-008042-8.</ref>

The Max and Moritz story inspired [[Rudolph Dirks]] to create [[The Katzenjammer Kids]],<ref>[[August Derleth|Derleth, August]] in [[Rudolph Dirks|Dirks, Rudolph]]: ''The Katzenjammer Kids'', [[Dover Publications]], New York 1974</ref> which would in turn serve as inspiration for [[Art Clokey]] to create his antagonists for [[Gumby]], the Blockheads.{{cn|date=September 2023}} 

''Max and Moritz'' (along with ''The Katzenjammer Kids'') may have served as inspiration for [[Ragdoll Productions]]' British children's show ''[[Rosie and Jim]]'', [[Mike Judge]]'s animated series ''[[Beavis and Butt-Head]]'', Terrence and Phillip of the Terrence and Phillip Show from ''[[South Park]]'' (the show's creators, [[Trey Parker]] and [[Matt Stone]], having said South Park was inspired by ''Beavis and Butt-Head''), and George Beard and Harold Hutchins in the "[[Captain Underpants]]" series by [[Dav Pilkey]].{{cn|date=September 2023}}

The [[Max & Moritz Prize]]  is an award for comic books, comic strips, and other similar materials, awarded at each of the biennial International Comics Shows of Erlangen since 1984.<ref name=comicsalon>{{cite web | title=Max und Moritz Award | website=Comic-Salon  | date=28 November 2017 | url=https://www.comic-salon.de/en/max-und-moritz-award | access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref>

''Der Fall Max und Moritz'' ({{langx|en|The Max and Moritz Case|italics=yes}}), by Jörg M. Günther, published in 1988, is a satirical treatment in which the various misdeeds in the story – both by the protagonists and their surroundings – are analysed via the regulations of the German [[Strafgesetzbuch]].{{cn|date=September 2023}}

In the early 2020s, the [[Efteling]] amusement park in the Netherlands opened a pair of [[rollercoaster]]s named [[Max & Moritz (roller coaster)|Max & Moritz]].<ref>{{cite web  | title=Max & Moritz replaces Bob at Efteling | website=Coaster Kings | date=10 October 2018 | url=https://thecoasterkings.com/max-moritz-replaces-bob-at-efteling/ | access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref>

Max and Moritz are featured in ''[[The Defeated]]'', a [[streaming]] television series distributed by [[Netflix]] in 2021. Set in 1946, in post-war [[Berlin]], the two main characters are brothers named "Max" and "Moritz", and the book also features prominently throughout the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.looper.com/493801/why-max-mclaughlin-from-the-defeated-looks-so-familiar/|title=Why Max McLaughlin From The Defeated Looks So Familiar|publisher=looper.com|date=21 August 2021|access-date=23 August 2022}}</ref>

==Adaptations==
===Ballet===
''Max und Moritz'' was adapted into a ballet by Richard Mohaupt and Alfredo Bortuluzzi.<ref name="lambiek.net">{{cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/b/busch.htm|title=Wilhelm Busch|website=lambiek.net}}</ref> 

===Animated films and TV series===
* ''Spuk mit Max und Moritz'' (1951),<ref name="filmportal.de">{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/film/spuk-mit-max-und-moritz_29b7aac91d134fb08fbc7ec99adf4dd4|title=Spuk mit Max und Moritz|website=filmportal.de}}</ref> by [[Diehl Film]], a production company led by brothers {{ill|Hermann Diehl|de|3=Hermann Diehl (Regisseur)|lt=Hermann}}, {{ill|Ferdinand Diehl|lt=Ferdinand|de}} and {{ill|Paul Diehl|de}}
* ''{{ill|Wilhelm Busch – Die Trickfilm-Parade: Max und Moritz und andere Streiche|de}}'' (1978) by [[Halas and Batchelor]]
* ''Max und Moritz'' (TV series, 39 episodes, 1999)<ref name="fernsehserien.de">{{cite web|url=https://www.fernsehserien.de/max-und-moritz-1998|title=Max und Moritz|website=fernsehserien.de|date=29 November 1999 }}</ref>

===Live action films===
* ''[[Max and Moritz (1956 film)|Max and Moritz]]'' (1956), by  [[Norbert Schultze]]<ref name="lambiek.net"/>
* ''{{ill|Die fromme Helene (1965 film)|de|3=Die fromme Helene (Film)|lt=Die fromme Helene}}'' (1965)
* ''{{ill|Max und Moritz Reloaded|de}}'' (2005)

== See also ==
* ''[[Struwwelpeter]]''

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Max und Moritz}}
{{wikisourcelang|de|Max und Moritz|''Max und Moritz''}}
{{Gutenberg|no=17161|name=Max und Moritz}} 
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101121013912/http://www.wilhelm-busch.de/49_Max__Moritz.html ''Max & Moritz''] (in German)

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Literary duos]]
[[Category:Comic strip duos]]
[[Category:German comic strips]]
[[Category:German children's books]]
[[Category:German-language children's books]]
[[Category:Fictional German people]]
[[Category:Fictional thieves]]
[[Category:Fictional tricksters]]
[[Category:Fictional murdered children]]
[[Category:German comics characters]]
[[Category:Comedy literature characters]]
[[Category:Comics set in Germany]]
[[Category:Humor comics]]
[[Category:Slapstick comedy]]
[[Category:Text comics]]
[[Category:1860s comics]]
[[Category:1865 books]]
[[Category:Comics about children]]
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[[Category:Male characters in comics]]
[[Category:Comics set in the 19th century]]
[[Category:Child characters in literature]]
[[Category:Male characters in literature]]
[[Category:Public domain comics]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1865]]
[[Category:Comics adapted into television series]]
[[Category:Comics adapted into animated series]]
[[Category:Comics adapted into plays]]
[[Category:German comics adapted into films]]
[[Category:1860s children's books]]
[[Category:The Katzenjammer Kids]]