It all starts with two piles of stones of the same size: Wickie and his father Halvar each have to clear one from the field. The winner is the one who can do it the fastest. The slight youngster against the giant of a man - actually a clear-cut case.
But Wickie wins. While Halvar goes behind it with manly strength and drags the boulders from the field, the clever boy first thinks carefully and then builds a catapult. This can be used to carry away several stones at once.
This is how the children's book "Vicke Viking" (1963) by Swedish author Runer Jonsson begins. A year later, it is published in German translation under the title "Wickie und die starken Männer" and goes on to win the German Youth Book Prize.
Vicky comes to the Swiss stage for the first time
The animated series broadcast by ZDF brought Vicky a resounding success with audiences in German-speaking countries in the early 1970s. There is no child who does not have the title tune "Hey, Hey, Wickie" by the Cologne band Stowaways (later called Bläck Fööss) in their ears.
This catchy tune is a must in the musical version, which will be making its first stop in Switzerland this fall. Composer Thomas Schwab also wrote 15 of his own songs for the stage version. Rousing songs, wonderful costumes and episodic storytelling make for a hundred entertaining minutes.
