Mainzelmaennchen Ampel, Mainz

The Mainzelmännchen are six comedic cartoon characters used as mascots for German public service television broadcaster ZDF. They first aired on television in 1963 as a way to accommodate a government regulation disallowing confusion between advertising and commercials. The cartoon characters served as a transition between the two.

They appear in between ads during broadcast, in roughly three to five second clips, and often during the satirical news program Heute-show. The name is a combination Mainz, headquarters for ZDF, and Heinzelmännchen, a type of gnome common in folklore surrounding the city of Cologne. Wolf Gerlach created the characters.

The Mainzelmännchen have become quite popular across Germany. Radio dramas have been created surrounding them, as well as children's books, and numerous other kinds of merchandise.

The Mainzelmännchen are either Wights or Dwarves, and express similarities to Heinzelmännchen. They often wear a Phrygian cap, similar to garden gnomes, however lack a beard. Their appearances often last three to five seconds, where they perform a single short gag. They usually speak in only a few short words, in a grumbly tone. Many of the gags are presented only visually and pantomimically. Their most famous saying is the traditional greeting „Gud’n Aamd“, a dialect coloured "Guten Abend" ("good evening"). Their given names are Anton, Berti, Conni, Det, Edi and Fritzchen.

On August 21, 2013, Mayor Michael Ebling awarded the "Mainzelmännchen honorary title" to Anton, Berti, Conni, Det, Edi and Fritzchen. According to the city administration, this is a title specially created for the Mainzelmännchen, because formally the honorary citizenship may only be awarded to living persons.

Text of the certificate: Anton, Berti, Conni, Det, Edi and Fritzchen, as media ambassadors for the state capital of Mainz, have rendered outstanding service to the city's reputation in a particularly sympathetic manner. On the occasion of their 50th birthday, they are awarded the unique Mainzelmännchen honorary title.

In addition, the idea of a Mainzampel has been sought since the honorary degree was awarded. The first traffic light with the Mainzelmännchen Det as a traffic light man was inaugurated on November 23, 2016 at Neubrunnenplatz in Mainz-Altstadt by Mayor Ebling and ZDF director Thomas Bellut. In May 2017, the city of Mainz announced that it intended to set up more Mainzelmännchen traffic lights. They are now installed, for example, on the corner of Rheinstrasse and Quintinstrasse in front of the town hall, at Fischtorplatz and on Lerchenberg.