Created by Czech director and animator Zdeněk Miler in 1956, Krtek, or The Mole in English, was an international hit with children. Because the cartoons were presented with no dialogue, Krtek was held to no national boundaries.

Milers daughter voiced the noises and grunts that Krtek made, and gave Miler the feedback from a child's perspective he needed to keep his stories focus on his young fans.