Krtek the Mole, or simply called the Mole, is an animated character in a series of cartoons, created by Czech animator Zdeněk Miler.
Krtek is the original Czech name, the more adoring form being Krteček. In Slovakia, it is known as Krtko.
The premiere of the first short film with the Mole was on Venice Film Festival in 1957. Since its inception, the cartoon won itself an enormous popularity in many Central European countries, as well as India, China, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Russia, Iraq and Japan, due its distinct lack of dialogue.
Krtek was first seen in 1956 in Prague, when Miler wanted to create a children's cartoon about how flax is processed. He wanted a strong Disney influence to the cartoon by choosing an animal for the leading role, and decided to pick a mole after stumbling over a molehill during a walk.
The first film called "Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel" ("How the mole got his trousers") had premiere on Venice Film Festival in 1957, where it was awarded two Golden Lions.
