The East German pedestrian traffic light symbols,
or‚ ampel men’ are Berlin born and bred. They came into being on October 13th 1961 when,
in response to the growing threat of road traffic accidents, the traffic psychologist,
Karl Peglau , introduced the first pedestrian
signals to the GDR capital. And so the vehicle traffic light, which had directed traffic
alone up to that point, was joined by the pedestrian traffic light. Its design was psychologically
conceived, because road-users react more quickly to appealing symbols.
The traffic light symbols with their human traits soon fulfilled their purpose and
found widespread acceptance both on the street and in social life. So it seemed the obvious thing to do when Friedrich Rochow,
the DEFA film director, started casting them as guardian angels in his road safety training film for children in 1982. The ampel men,
in the form of animated figures, were always at hand with a valuable tip in hazardous situations. The ampel men were also deployed
in other areas of road safety training. School children who could demonstrate good road safety knowledge received the ‘Golden One’
badge with the green ampel man or a special ampel man key fob. The two ampel men also adorned the card-game ‘Take care in traffic!’.
Kindergarten children made their acquaintance on rubber stamps and in colouring books.
Following reunification, the ampel men were supposed to disappear along with
many other things from everyday East German life. The West German authorities, politicians and traffic engineers were critical
of the little men on the East German traffic lights. In 1994 work started on replacing them with the west or euro traffic light man.
The bureaucrats did not care that the arguments against the signal only concerned the defect of the antiquated electronics and not
the symbols themselves.
In 1996 the industrial designer, Markus Heckhausen, adopted the discarded little men.
The first Ampelman products arose from the original glass of the traffic lights: as red and green ampel lamps. The media response
to the lamps and the story of the symbol’s disposal was huge, and so the extinct ampel men entered the consciousness of the population.
A resistance movement evolved.
Under the slogan ‚we are the people’, committed citizens strove to prevent the abolition of the last remaining symbol of East German daily life.
The ‘committee for the preservation of ampel men’ was founded. With many creative protest actions it succeeded in drawing greater attention
to the comical figures. And when the media also joined the campaign, politicians and authorities could no longer avoid entering into objective discussions.
The advantages of the ampel man, such as the clear symbolic and his wide-spread acceptance could no longer be denied.
And due to his stocky figure, large head and hat, the illuminated surface of the East ampel man was almost double that of his western competitor.
This made him more recognisable, which is particularly important for children. In 1997 It became clear that the beloved East German ampel men had been saved
and would retain their place n the urban landscape.
Now they can be found again, mainly in the new federal states on secondary roads and municipal streets.
Only the west or euro traffic light man is allowed to glow on main roads, in accordance with the Traffic Signals Directive.
In the meantime there are selected crossings in a few West German towns where pedestrians are directed by the East ampel men.
But this should be viewed as no more than an act of solidarity, because despite the advantages, a general change over in the other direction has never entered the discussion.
In 1997 Markus Heckhausen, together with the father of the ampel men, Karl Peglau, published ‚
The Ampel Man Book’ in Eulenspiegel Verlag. The histpry and rescue of ampel man is portrayed in detail by contemporary witnesses, and many photographs
and illustrations bring the theme to life.
The huge interest in the lamps and the book motivated Markus Heckhausen to keep the ampel men alive.
With his company, MAKE Design GmbH, and the designer Barbara Ponn he brought out the first Ampelmann collection in 1999. Items like bottle openers,
fruit gums, magnets, corkscrew, key fobs and T-shirts were an immediate success.
In the following years new products, such as the road traffic safety series, were constantly developed.
Public and media interest grew with every new product, making the ampel man of today one of the most beloved of all Berliners.
The exhibition to mark the ampel man’s 40th anniversary in 2001 also added to his cult status.
The exhibition gave rise to the first Ampelmann Gallery shop in Berlin’s Hackischen Höfen. Two further stores in Berlin,
sales to the retail trade and direct sales via the web shop now make ampel man available throughout the world.
