A cuddly hedgehog was for sale at “Bares for Rares”. It is the advertising character Mecki, with which the TV magazine “Hörzu” advertised from the 1950s. Horst Lichter associates other memories with it.
Harald May doesn’t seem to think much of his souvenir from “Bares für Rares”: “I don’t like it, but there are definitely people who put it up at home,” says the 67-year-old from Witzhelden.
This is a funny hedgehog. Not just any, as Horst Lichter immediately states: “Oh no, look, you know the hedgehog: Mecki,” the moderator exclaims happily. But where does the name actually come from?
This is where expert Detlev Kümmel comes into play, who knows more about the advertising character standing on a luminous television. Mecki comes from a comic in the program magazine “Hörzu”, the cheeky hedgehog has been around since 1949. He initially made critical comments on radio broadcasts. “You don’t get mad at a hedgehog if it says something wrong,” says Kümmel.
“Bares for Rares”: Horst Lichter used to wear a Mecki
There are two explanations for the origin of the name. One says that Mecki looked like an editor of the program magazine. But the second story seems more plausible: the hedgehog was supposed to complain – that’s why Mecki.
Horst Lichter primarily associates the name with the haircut he wore as a child: a short stubble cut. Detlev Kümmel wore the same head of hair, also a Mecki. “It’s this little guy’s fault,” explains the expert.
Esther Ollick falls in love
Harald May wants 80 euros for the property. However, Kümmel sees significantly more potential and estimates the value at 180 to 200 euros. And he turned out to be right: the cuddly figure aroused great interest in the dealer’s room. “Cool. How cute! A hedgehog,” beams Esther Ollick when she sees the animal.
Julian Schmitz-Avila opens the round of bidders with 30 euros. In the following, Esther Ollick and Roman Runkel fight a duel and drive up the price. Good for the seller: The estimated value of 200 euros is soon exceeded. In the end, Ollick was awarded the contract for 250 euros.
Harald May is happy about that, but so is the new owner: “Then Mecki and I are friends now,” says the 42-year-old beaming. “I just think it’s cute!”
Source: “Bares for Rares” in the ZDF media library
