His name is Bernd; he is a sentient piece of bread, and he is one of Germany’s most famous children’s cartoon characters. (Annabell Gsödl (Adobe Stock))
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Europe is known for its famous artists, musicians and historical figures. However, there are also plenty of famous fictional characters to emerge from the continent. Do you recognize any of these famous faces?
Late at night as I am scrolling through channels in a German hotel room, a depressed-looking floating brown rectangle in a space suit is staring directly into my soul, speaking sad and angry words at me. His name is Bernd; he is a sentient piece of bread, and he is one of Germany’s most famous children’s cartoon characters.
He was created in 2000 and has popular catch phrases which include “My life is hell” and “crap;” this guy is no Barney the dinosaur. However, one can empathize with his constantly depressed state upon learning that he spends his time pining away for a charming and beautiful baguette who does not return his affections — she is in love with a multigrain loaf.
Bernd is beloved by all. He made an appearance on the “Last Week with John Oliver” in 2025 and has his own statue you can see in Erfurt, Germany.
Josef Švejk, a soldier in the Austria-Hungary army during World War I, is the cartoon star of “The Good Solider Švejk” novel by Jaroslav Hašek. Unlike Bernd, this is not a character for children (though, some parents might argue, neither is Bernd).
Throughout the novel, Švejk finds himself in a series of comedic misadventures and mishaps that land him in jail and almost get him executed. His charm and cheerfulness get him out of every situation. The novel has been translated into dozens of languages; however, the author did not get to finish the planned six volumes of the story, passing away while writing the fourth.
“The Good Soldier Švejk” went from the page to the radio and to the screen, with the latest adaptation being a live-action English-language film in 2018 starring Alfie Stewart. The Good Solider character even has his own branch of restaurants scattered throughout Czechia.
The Good Solider character even has his own branch of restaurants scattered throughout Czechia. (AlexMastro (Adobe Stock))
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Older Americans may be familiar with this famous Italian mouse; Topo Gigio made several visits to the “Ed Sullivan Show” in the 1960s. My favorite appearance is when Topo Gigio critiques modern art with Ed Sullivan — Topo Gigio and I have the same thoughts.
He is a 10-inch animatronic mouse from Milan, created in the 1950s by “Madame” Maria Perego and Guido Stagnaro. Before making his debut on American television, he had his own televised puppet show in Italy.
In addition to being a television star, Topo Gigio has also starred in his own animated series and films, as well as released several LPs. He is still popular today; presenting the results of the Italian jury during the popular 2025 “Eurovision Song Contest.”
Astérix the Gaul made his debut in the French children’s magazine, “Pilote” in 1959, created by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. He is a Gaul warrior fighting against the Roman occupation in the BCE era. He takes a magic potion for superhuman strength and is surround by a cast of unique characters to help share his stories, most famously Obelix. Obelix is Astérix’s best friend who fell into a magical cauldron when he was a baby and now always has super strength (unlike Astérix).
Today, their zany adventures have been featured in over 400 million printed comics, five live action films and 11 animated movies, the latest being “Astérix and Obelix: the Big Fight” in 2025. The characters and their media have won countless awards. In 2017, Astérix and Obelix had the honor of being the official mascots of the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. The whole world loves them. I caught one of their live action films on television one night, and found myself quite entertained, despite my inability to understand French.
Tintin is one of the oldest characters on this list, although he never ages as a character. He was created in 1929 by Belgian artist Hergé. He is a reporter and often seen with his white fox terrier, Snowy.
Tintin is one of the oldest characters on this list, although he never ages as a character. (Baharlou (Adobe Stock))
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His literary adventures in “The Adventures of Tintin” take readers all over the world in the early 20th century including America, Tibet and Egypt. He even beat Neal Armstrong to the moon by going there himself in 1954. Tintin came under some controversary with the questionable views espoused in “Tintin in the Congo;” however, the story has since been re-released with a preface explaining the colonial context of the era.
His exploits moved from the page to the screen with Tintin getting several animated series and film adaptations with audiences eagerly awaiting a sequel to the 2011 CGI English-language adaptation.
Paddington Bear literally landed in London’s Paddington Station in Oct. 1958. He was created by Michael Bond, a BBC cameraman, who was inspired by a Teddy Bear.
Paddington came to the station from Peru after being raised by aunt who left a note saying, “Please look after this bear.” His polite nature and ability to speak English helped him blend right into English society. He became known for his adorable outfit and love of marmalade
Paddington came to the station from Peru after being raised by aunt who left a note saying, “Please look after this bear.” (chrisdorney (Adobe Stock))
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Today, there have been several television and movie adaptations, and Paddington Bear has become the symbol of England. He has his own store in Paddington Station, and you can get your own bear to go on adventures too.
For those stationed in Poznań, you might see a statue of a man holding his bicycle. This man is Stary Marych, a beloved Polish radio character who came to be the embodiment of a typical Poznańian with his grumpy but lovable nature and speaking in the local dialect. Since Stary Marych is a radio star, he gets an honorable mention spot on this list.
He made his premier in 1983 on the radio program, “Blubry Starego Marycha” and you can also find “his” handprint in Pierogarnia.
