Krtek, or Mole in English, is an animated character in a series of cartoons created by Czech animator Zdeněk Miler. Miler wanted to create a children's cartoon that had a strong Disney influence by having an animal as the main character. He decided to pick a mole after stumbling over a molehill during a walk.

The first film is called "Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel" ("How the mole got his trousers"). It tells the story of how Krtek got animals with different skillsets to join efforts and make a pair of pants from scratch. This little film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 1957, where it won two Golden Lions.

The first episode is the only one that is narrated. Miler wanted the cartoon to be understood in every country of the world. So, he decided to use his daughters as voice actors, reducing the speech to giggles and short non-figurative exclamations to express the mole's feelings and world perception.

Over nearly five decades, Krtek has starred in over 50 short animated films for children. He is shown around the world and is especially popular in Germany and Japan.

In 2011, Miler saw Andrew Feustel take a stuffed Krtek toy on the Space Shuttle Endeavour's mission STS-134. Feustel, an American astronaut, was introduced to Krtek by his wife, who has Czech ancestors. Upon announcing his plans for Krtek, Feustel received a card greeting from Miler, who also sent him a book based on the 1965 episode "Krtek a raketa" (Krtek and the rocket). When he wrote that episode, Miler never expected that his Little Mole would actually make it into space. The toy was altered to meet NASA requirements, and Miler got to watch the toy mole undergo tests to prepare for the exciting space journey.

If you would like to check out some episodes of Krtek, click on the link below:
https://www.televizeseznam.cz/porad/krtek