Berlin's Communist Traffic Lights

[@MichaelLlaneza]

Buddy, it says "History of Everything" on the tin. We're here for this, no need to apologize.

[@OffendingTheOffendable]

Tin?? Yeah not into weird European stuff

[@MichaelLlaneza]

@@OffendingTheOffendable Then why are you even subscribed?

[@mbryson2899]

​@@MichaelLlaneza It's why _I_ subscribed. 😁

[@KarlB591]

Exactly.

[@lornamorgan3575]

It always seems a bit strange when you use an advertising slogan and someone doesn't recognise it. Whether it's age or different countries.

[@CaffeineGeek]

Must be something about Germany. A few years ago my wife went into a phase where she was deeply fascinated by flak towers.

[@3_character_minimum]

Vienna has an amazing one in the center of the city that has been converted to a fantastic zoom and aquarium

[@krydas9050]

Valid. Flak Towers are interesting.

[@marcusott2973]

​@3_character_minimum that has become so beautiful, when I was a kid it was just a tight dark Flak bunker, with a bunch of terrariums and aquariums stuck inside. We still loved to go, because they would feed the snakes, stone fish and piranhas live infront of public. But before they put the elevators in it wasn't very accessible. Now it's fantastic if quite pricey, especially as you exit through the gift shop😅, but what they have done to the place justifies the price.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

ah, the Doom Fortresses

[@Jacky-zt5ch]

Based, flakturm are cool

[@bebopwing1]

I live in Georgia in the US, and we have orange diamond shaped road caution signs in rural areas warning people that there might be slow agricultural tractors on the road. And I absolutely love that the silhouette of the tractor they chose has a farmer with a little straw hat riding it. They could have done a more generic tractor, or they could have done a generic shapeless figure, but instead it's a little outline of a little guy clearly wearing a straw hat, and it's fantastic!

[@coleharring]

I’ve seen those too, more going south/west then north ga but then again it’s mostly mountains up there anyway

[@ebnertra0004]

It's a standard design for use across the country (W11-5). The ones I've seen are yellow, but they're found here in MN, too. The one I like is that the (unfortunately rare) standard sign for train stations (I-7) features a streamlined locomotive from probably the 1950s

[@20chocsaday]

It's the hat that caps it.

[@R4002]

Yep, it’s in the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) I’ve seen it here in Virginia as well. mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/11th_Edition/mutcd11thedition.pdf Page 191 Part 2 - Signs Chapter 2C - Warning Signs and Object Markers W11-5 (as already mentioned) - here’s a link to Chapter 2C by itself: mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/11th_Edition/Chapter2c.pdf Page for the MUTCD, including the full section / chapter list and PDFs of each section as well as the full manual PDF above: mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/kno_11th_Edition.htm

[@NefariousKoel]

I know of Cattle Crossing (slow) signs here, at least in MO, which have .. you guessed it.. a walking cow on the yellow diamond shaped sign. They're fairly rare so teenagers would regularly steal them. The state probably had to replace each one numerous times.

[@bernadmanny]

I think the fact that it didn't have negative association with communist oppression was why it was so popular.

[@Brian_on_a_cross]

I just watched a video about traffic lights in germany at 12:18 am. When i am currently trying to sleep, why is this man so captivating

[@HistoryofEverythingChannel]

Ty ty

[@rawchicken3463]

Well I beat you by two hours

[@stevenharrison151]

0:58 Don´t buy at the gift store, I used to work there. The employees are underpaid and treated like Sh*t by the owner.

[@Telsion]

So where should we buy instead?

[@20chocsaday]

Pay the price to the gift store and gift the same money to the employee.

[@AlexHalt100]

@@Telsion anywhere else in Berlin. gift shops are always a rip off no matter where.

[@me_ya_boi]

Real

[@blinikot7960]

We have them in Heidelberg too for some reason. Can't blame them, who doesn't love the lil guy.

[@Black.Templar_002]

bro, heidelberg is in germany. everywhere in germany and austria has them

[@pufferkuesser97]

@@Black.Templar_002 The Ampelmännchen aren't everywhere in Germany

[@Black.Templar_002]

@@pufferkuesser97 well, theyre everywhere ive ever been. which includes bavaria, baden-württemberg, the palatinate, berlin ofc, mecklenburg, hamburg, aswell as all of austria

[@frederikhein4195]

​@@pufferkuesser97 Ich hab noch nie ne Fußgängerampel ohne gesehen. Wo gibt's die noch?

[@zallia_]

Fdj playing on repeat in the background is just the cherry on top for this video

[@KC-up7hf]

The description of the little guy in Der Spiegel is the most beautifully communist sentence I’ve ever heard and I love it.

[@zeroid105]

I‘m one of the germans who apparently screamed in enjoiment. As a german I ofc do not have time for such unnecessary things. /s But it was quite nice to hear how much you enjoied making the video.

[@louiscarullo6034]

I just watched a video about a traffic light… And I was fucking entertained. WTF. Now I gotta think of one I saw in my travels.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Besides the strip cartoon, there were also partly animated Ampelmännchen stories with the name Stiefelchen und Kompaßkalle were broadcast once a month as part of the program Sandmännchen. Like Ampelmännchen, Sandmännchen is another East German thing that outlasted East Germany. Sandmännchen is a children's television program about a character named Sandmännchen who helps children go to bed using stop-motion animation and puppets. During the GDR, the East German show represented everyday life, travel, and fantastic adventures. The character often showcased socialist technological achievements, such as the use of awe-inspiring vehicles like futuristic cars and flying devices. The original idea came from Ilse Obrig of West Berlin TV and radio station Sender Freies Berlin, who, with the help of author Johanna Schüppel, developed a working version in 1958. Called "Das Sandmännchen", it first appeared on screen in West Berlin in December 1959. However, in November 1959 (only three weeks after the production had started), East German television Deutscher Fernsehfunk began broadcasting its own "Unser Sandmännchen". The East German version was created by Gerhard Behrendt, and while the West German version's production ended in 1991, since 1959, the East German version has made over 22,000 episodes and counting! The series is the longest-running animated television series in history, and the TV show with the most episodes in history! The format of each episode is simple. A stop-motion character goes on an adventure, whether it's traveling in a spaceship or vacationing in other communist countries like Cuba and the Soviet Union, then his song plays "Sandmann, lieber Sandmann, es ist noch nicht so weit! Wir sehen erst den Abendgruß, ehe jedes Kind ins Bettchen muß, du hast gewiß noch Zeit" or "Sandman, dear Sandman, it's not yet time! First we'll watch the 'Evening Greeting' before every child must go to bed. Surely you have time for that", it then transitions to a story is told by someone or one of his puppet friends, and finally he leaves as the song goes "Kinder, liebe Kinder, das hat mir Spaß gemacht. Nun schnell ins Bett und schlaft recht schön. Dann will auch ich zur Ruhe gehn. Ich wünsch' euch gute Nacht" or "Children, dear children, that was fun. Now, quick, to bed and sleep tight. Then I will also go and rest. I wish you a good night."

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Not just the traffic lights, but there are differences in Berlin's streetlights because of the Cold War as well! If you look at a satellite view of Berlin at night, you can easily tell where the division between West and East Berlin was, as the east uses sodium-vapor lamps, which are older and produce an orange hue, while the west uses fluorescent lamps, which produces a brighter, whiter light. The west preferred non-sodium lamps because they were cheaper, easier to maintain, and better for the environment. Another GDR thing that has outlasted the GDR is the Fernsehturm, or Television Tower! The one at 0:35! At the European Broadcasting Conference in Stockholm in 1952, which was responsible for the coordination of frequency waves in Europe, the GDR was only allocated two frequency channels. Under these circumstances, it was impossible to cover Berlin's urban area by multiple small broadcasting stations without interference and thus disturbances or gaps in the broadcasting signals. For comprehensive and continuous coverage, a powerful large broadcasting facility at the highest possible location was required. In the 1950s, this task was fulfilled in Berlin by state broadcaster Deutscher Fernsehfunk. As early as 1952, GDR's Deutsche Post began planning a TV tower for Berlin. The plans initially involved a location in the southeast of Berlin. However, the project was interrupted after construction had started, when it transpired that the site was only eight kilometers away from the Berlin Schönefeld Airport (now part of Berlin Brandenburg Airport). Alongside its actual purpose of providing the best possible broadcasting services, the role of the tower as a new landmark of Berlin was increasingly gaining significance. For this reason, in 1964 the government demanded that the tower be built at a central location, an appeal that was supported by the SED leadership. Ultimately, the choice of location was a political decision. GDR leader Walter Ulbricht decided to allow the construction of a television tower modelled on the Fernsehturm Stuttgart and the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik. Thus, it was built to be taller than West Germany's Fernsehturm Stuttgart. The original total height of the tower was 365 meters, but it rose to 368 meters after the installation of a new antenna in 1997. Since reunification, it went from being a symbol of the GDR to a symbol of Berlin as a whole. When the sun shines on the Fernsehturm's tiled stainless-steel dome, the reflection usually appears in the form of a Greek cross. Berliners nicknamed the luminous cross Rache des Papstes, or the "Pope's Revenge", believing the Christian symbol a divine retaliation for the government's removal of crosses from East Berlin's churches. For the same reasons, the structure was also called "St. Walter"

[@The_ZeroLine]

The different shapes are intuitive and make sense as a safeguard for colorblind. I’d love an Ampelmännchen lamp. I love old traffic signs as lamps. I have some from ‘70s New York.

[@3_character_minimum]

I lived in Berlin (now Brandenburg), I would of loved to show u around and point these out. My favorite tale is how ine of the dark beers nearly stopped unification as it did not conform to the beer purity laws, which are genuine laws.

[@burtbacarach5034]

Germans take their Bier SERIOUSLY.

[@xerxeskingofking]

@@burtbacarach5034 it was originally intended to keep bread prices down by banning wheat based beers (and thus brewers competing with the bakers for the wheat). it originated in Bavaria in south Germany, but spread over the whole nation in the 20th century. Wheat beer (wissenbier) makers literally had to take the case to the European Court of Justice to get the laws loosened.

[@stevensteenbergen8856]

I am Dutch and live in The Netherlands. These little dudes are here to show you a pedestrian crossing without the bars on the road 😮 you just blew my mind 🎉

[@vidogams]

I love that you can hear the smile on his face through out the video

[@The_ZeroLine]

There’s lots of weird design from the Soviet Union I love. I love the bizarre little subway cars that have survived from the Soviet Union such as the world’s shortest subway, which is in Donetsk.

[@lornamorgan3575]

A petite delight. Small, but perfectly formed. Thoroughly enjoyed this, thanks.

[@oli24yt]

this is awesome! my roommate, whose mother emigrated from germany to canada with her family as a teenager, has silkscreen prints of the red and green "little guys" hanging in our living room that were picked up as souvenirs when visiting family back in berlin. i was absolutely gleeful to get to tell the roomie that one of the channels i follow did a video on "your little german traffic light dudes!"

[@pilotspitfir3]

As someone who lives in former eastern germany i never knew the Ampelmännchen has lore.

[@theCharmingDeviant]

This is great, I really got a kick out of the whole idea of it. Seems as though this dapper little green fellow came full circle. As said by others, in this thread, I am totally here for content of this sort. Do you, HoE, as nerdy as you want to be. There are plenty of abysmal stories in history, but it can still be fun. There's room for that too. Thanks for yet another obscure nugget from your files.

[@SmoggieManx]

Just got in from a long night shift, this was just the perfect blend of funny and interesting that i needed, cheers mate!

[@Arran_Raven]

We have a few different trafficlights in germany. For instance in Friedberg we have Elvis, because he was stationed there during his millitary service. Or in Emden we have Lights with Otto Waalkes. A famous comedian who was born there

[@Proffesionallydumb8425]

Thanks for helping me find out what those "cowboy" and "devil" fridge magnets were

[@civishamburgum1234]

This fella is my literally me character. Also I'm off to listen to IFA Wartburg all day now.

[@RedDotChiliPepper96]

Great video, I knew a couple things about this. In certain cities you still see other "Ampelmännchen" which look much more normal and have no real character.

[@deanstuart8012]

Nice to see that you mentioned Gregg's ahead of McDonald's. As a kid growing up in the north east of England, the home of Gregg's, they were originally known as Gregg's The Bakers, and when I moved to the south coast in the mid 90s I was most upset that they hadn't migrated south - the local equivalents cost two or three times as much.

[@Pyriphlegeton]

Diese Kommentarsektion ist nun Eigentum der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.

[@frederikhein4195]

Wow, I learned a lot today. I am a German and had no idea that for once the "Ampelmännchen" is something exclusively German. I just always took it as the norm as I never encountered a pedestrian traffic light without this little guy in some shape or form (here in Fulda, he is St. Boniface, who is buried in our cathedral). And I definitely had no clue that he came from the East. So, thanks for teaching me more about my own culture.

[@The702010]

You know... this kind of video is something more akin to what i saw from Netflix 'Cronicas del taco' where while also showing many of the flavors/varieties of the tacos, it also told their history and similarities with the Shawarma. That made me realize the similarities of Empanadas/Chebureki or the Schnitzel/Milanesa and how in many of our countries that gets passed or forgotten just for being a small detail. And that I think is what, while being small, tell us a lot of how many of us can connect even unknowingly through many things.

[@relwalretep]

Great video, mate. History and culture can sure be fun! No idea if its still there, but one stage at Dublin Airport there was a road sign indicating directions to Domestic Flights, International Flights, and Mortuary. I think about that sign from time to time and how it managed to cover all the emotions while also being so very incredibly Irish.

[@kevinpaulmyrick]

This was delightful! Well done.

[@Black.Templar_002]

deLIGHTful................. ill show myself out

[@kevinpaulmyrick]

@@Black.Templar_002 ftw

[@farnow01]

Great video my man

[@miguelfpaula]

wait until this guy finds out about Die Partei...

[@tommihommi1]

sadly Sonneborn is a bit of an idiot in regards to many important topics

[@marcusott2973]

The song ? that's hilarious, or TV and radio adverts of the DDR, there's some real comic gold to be found there.

[@GrzegorzBrzeczyszczykiewicz420]

@@marcusott2973 no he is talking about a political party, they are kind of a "sartirical" party and make really funny stuff

[@marcusott2973]

@GrzegorzBrzeczyszczykiewicz420 including the Song "Die Partei" it's the SED party song, and completely absurd when you speak German, almost Dadaist. They did a take on it I'm sure it on KZbin.

[@miguelfpaula]

@@marcusott2973 Germans don`t understand how uniquely weird it is to have a permanent political joke lasting decades. Every country has had either a joke campaign on the elections where a election campaign is there just to be funny or a few individuals who put on a costume and make a skit when there`s an election coming. But a real GRASSROOTS party!?!?! I live in Heidelberg, very famous city. But tiny! 100k people including the neighbouring residential areas.They do actual engagement with the electorate, They set up booths on Sunday in the main square to tell people about their ideas (jokes) and people have their flags and stickers on their house. They elect an important number of people all over the country. They appear to be organised in a conventional manner, like any other party, with local representatives and and structures. But they refuse to vote on anything and only ever speak to make fun of other politicians, policies or parties. It`s so weird and weirdly German...

[@seanledden4397]

What a charming bit of design history! I get why those little guys are so popular.

[@DrDashajacsonaleksan]

I liked this, I wouldn't mind more content like this.

[@owenfarmer1588]

love the choice of music

[@Spacey_key]

YEEEEEEES! MORE LITTLE HISTORY! It's often way more interesting than the Grand History!

[@BigMoTheBlackDragon]

You have obviously never watch CGP Gray. Or for that matter Sacred Cow Shipyards. Or, oh what's his name.... something about Lazers & Boars -- something like that.

[@TheCombatEditor62]

I love the first two.

[@jochenklausberger9076]

Hey man, great work. A short and snappy video on a curious historical thing? Count me in.

[@KarlB591]

No judgment on the currywurst. That stuff is delicious. I do remember seeing this guy and one of his fan shops when visiting Berlin back in 2016. Wouldn't be surprised if he was also somewhere at the Waldsee summer camp and I just failed to notice. Anyway, thank you for making this charming little video for us to enjoy.

[@Don__]

This video gives the impression that until the reunification there were no pedestrian traffic lights in west-germany. There were and they did and still have a more simplified stick figure. I have a book from 1980 that shows this. But there is definitely not the same hype as around the "Ost-Ampelmännchen".

[@julianmorrisco]

It’s the hat. I always assumed it was a 1950s pork pie job. As much as I dislike Honecker and his little suck-up-to-Russians-kingdom (not that he had much choice on that) I find the detail that the Ampelmensch was based on him delightful.

[@llynnmarks3382]

In Montreal the walking symbol has feet. In Seattle, NYC, and most of the USA the walking symbol does not have feet.

[@Lord_Foxy13]

Same here in Ottawa,our little walking dude has feet

[@taylorjoseph15]

I remember visiting Berlin and we stumbled upon one of those traffic light man shops. As someone who enjoys these quirky moments of history, we loved the story about the little guy and thought it was cute. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought so.

[@darrinmartin1624]

This is the funniest video I've seen in a long time, and I needed it. Thank you.

[@stanislavkos3723]

I never thought a video about a traffic light man would make me smile for 10 minutes straight. It's just so nice how something like that became a universally beloved symbol. I now regret I didn't visit the souvenir shop when I was in Berlin...

[@wolfsruhm]

Since you said it yourself, The 'Ampelmännchen' was conceptionalized in 1961 and introduced in 62, during the reign of Walther, 'Niemand hat die Absicht eine Mauer zu bauen (Noone has the intention to errect a wall) Ulbrecht, as such the myth it is styled after Staatsekretär Erich Honecker (who wasn't even the head of state at that time, and 'merely' the secretary of security, iirc) is just that, a myth, and is not true. The reason for it's appearance is such that it was ment to be 'firendly' shape, a slightly chubby guy with a hat.

[@Bigcountry_littlelegs]

Great vid mate

[@Herne0011]

Welp I learned something I would never have found out otherwise. Thanks for that.

[@dooperdaa7676]

And here I thought this would be like the Red Guard's little experiment with traffic policing. Still very interesting.

[@jedimasterdraco6950]

You mean where they tried to reverse the meanings of the traffic lights so red meant go and green meant stop? Probably one of the only times I laughed while reading Wild Swans was when that came up.

[@HugostarGames]

how can the Appelmännchen be based on Honecker, when Ulbricht was still leader of the SED at the time the design was being proposed and tested?

[@brerobsym]

It doesn't matter what the topic is, if the person talking about it is passionate, knowledgeable, factual, honest, and not the slightest bombastic, I will watch/listen. They make it interesting even if it doesn't look like it could be. So, what did I watch today? Traffic lights and devine chickens on an educated historian's channel! Thank you kind sir for a great start to the day.....😅

[@christopherconard2831]

Sort of an East German Smokey Bear.

[@matzekelle8482]

I don't remember funny shaped lights, but I love the countdowns in Tokyo. Most often it's a line of small blocks beside the light slowly being reduced by one at a time, showing how long it takes to the change. Super nice.

[@Miny___]

Nice video, but one small correction: West Germany also had an Ampelmännchen (you can see it on the German Wikipedia page). It's culturally not really significant (and boring), but used in nearly every West German city, including the western half of Berlin (still today). The eastern one is of course known as a symbol for the reunification also in the west, but you won't really find it there as a standard.

[@horstyoutube6413]

„History of Everything“ means I wouldn‘t be surprised the slightest bit so see a video about the origins of fart pillows or some obscure 17th century warlord on your channel. And I like that.

[@horstyoutube6413]

Why not a Video about „Bernd das Brot“ ^^

[@jeudieleslavavelasquez8410]

Extra points for the soundtrack of the video: IFA Wartburg is an amazing band!

[@larswhitt1549]

Fun sitenote, in Warsaw there is a neon museum, explaining the evelotion and de-evelution of neon light in the east Europe. Was kind of fun, and there were explantion to why Warsaw was souch a dark city in the 1980´s. But also how Polen was full of neon light to everything in the 1950´s to 60´s.

[@seppo532]

This was really cool.

[@seppo532]

Not exactly a travel story, but I miss the way BART used to screamed. You could hear it for miles. I haven’t lived in the Bay in ages and they’ve fixed the problem behind the sound (which is good!), but there aren’t many recordings of it from the passenger point of view and there’s none from 1.5 miles away from the tracks at night. I did not enjoy the sound at the time. It’s funny what you miss. The sound brought passengers together. When someone new has a visible reaction, the passengers in the know share a smug smirk. Also, Kokkola Finland had really good pizza. I’m extremely picky with pizza and as a child, I would not eat it, but I ate the Finnish pizza. I’m going to go try to find out why. I love the Finnish language. If this was a French town, I’d never be able to spell it right.

[@timaldridge6505]

Vienna has some neat features i noticed whilst travelling. A bunch of surealist social housing buildings, recycled AA towers and cute couple traffic lights.

[@dangarrett8676]

I would have watched the premier, if I'd seen it in time. Oh well guess I'll watch it now

[@rubenskiii]

In the Netherlands we have road markers in the shape of mushrooms. ANWB Paddenstoelen. They are really cute and the design goes back to 1919!

[@thomaslayton2110]

Next video on the bunnings snag!

[@relwalretep]

Near riots caused by the onions😱😱😱😱

[@jasonschoenmann2308]

I was just in Berlin and I noticed those. This could not have come at a better time

[@gomikomi1837]

Cute little story about cute lil dude. You've just made my day, thanks!!!

[@JokerJonny]

Dieser Kommentarbereich ist nun Eigentum der BRD. As someone who grew up in what was East Germany, there were many things in this video even I didn't know about.

[@heinrichvonbaden8824]

Germany mentioned RAHHHHHH

[@sirderik]

We have a similar thing in Sweden..... Like that we have a little walk man but not near in culture

[@julonkrutor4649]

In Berlin, you can tell by the Ampelmänchen if the part of the City was in west or east Berlin.

[@oddball_the_blue]

A hell of a lot less creepy traffic guidance compared to "The Green Cross man" in the UK.

[@irondog068]

In Jamaica, the strips on the road to keep you from driving fast are called "sleeping policeman"

[@up0the0ions]

the sound of irish crosswalks sounds like a futuristic mo-ped

[@LAHFaust]

I have one of these street lights in my garage. My Uncle was stationed in Germany during reunification and one evening while on liberty he ran into a guy selling them out of the back of a van. He picked one up as a souvenir because "it was the most 'East German' thing I could find."

[@KataIIama]

My first memories are in Germany, i lived 4 years there as a small child and that's one thing i do remember, is the aura carried by these little green and red menis unmatched

[@nachoolo]

Here in Spain we have something similar with the Osborne bull, which was a publicity campaign for a brandy that erected a decent amount of billboards of a silhouette of a bull throughout the country in the 50s and has become a national symbol. To the point that there are a lot of souvenirs of it. You can even see a lot of Spanish flags with the Osborne bull replacing its shield. And, of course, because the symbol is owned by the Osborne company you also see a lot of copyright-free versions of the bull.

[@Princeofbelka]

GEM INTRO SONG!!!!! 💎

[@ladykimono401]

I bought two mugs with the man on them, one red and one green. They both broke within the year, because I am clumsy and I lived in a shared apartment with other clumsy people. I miss my mugs...

[@AllHailTheBobSemple]

0:50 nobody’s judging, that’s perfectly normal in Berlin 😅😂

[@rofri5743]

As a east German guys (born after reunification) I wanna say thank you for sharing this nice part of my culture with the world. Nice try with the German words, too. Must have been hard :D

[@535phobos]

There is also an Ampelmädchen (a girl) in exactly one crossing in Dresden (although she might have spread) Edit: Oh, I see, she got mentioned

[@rtwfreak2012]

In neustadt an der Weinstraße they have a little Weinkönigin, holding a vine. It is really cute.

[@ILikeAlotofThings-SLS]

The Ampel Männchen were modeld after Eric Honecker what ? Also i am watching a f****ing video about the little guys i see nearly every day . Hey atleast i learnd somthing new i didnt know it came from the DDR .

[@galacticthreat3164]

When I was in Mexico City, visiting family, I saw a ton of very interesting monuments. Somewhere to Karl Marx, somewhere to Leon Trotsky, somewhere to Martin Luther King Jr., somewhere about Abraham Lincoln, somewhere about Einstein, and somewhere even about Kids and random people with no name. Some of them really did have no names, and we’re just representatives of the “proletariat”, and some of the kids were either heroes who fought against the Americans when they invaded, or were representations of youth and new change. There is a lot more nuance to the figures that a memorialized in Mexico, and going back to Leon Trotsky and Karl Marx, Mexico has a long history with the communist movement.

[@jefo2405]

Your german is pretty horrible but that you tried/incorporated it is cool and your video was awesome! :D Funny that I only found your channel a few weeks ago, binge watched it, and that I had been in Berlin 2 months ago and wondered about the little guy. So finding a video about it here was A+!

[@HandFromCoffin]

Google, "watch this video about traffic lights in Berlin" Me: "watch this video about traffic lights in Berlin"

[@bean420man]

The thing about the Ampelmännchen is that everyone can appreciate him. It doesn't matter if you are from the West or East, Buddhist or Christian or whatever. He transcends all that and is just a cultural icon and all-round cute guy that never did anything to anyone, except tell them when to cross the street or not.

[@HardThrasher]

I mean obviously the best sign in France is "Toutes Directions" (all directions), used when really they can't arsed to point out all the places which aren't "centre ville". However even this Gallic shrug in sign form is sometimes accompanied by another sign marked "Autres Directions" (other directions) - if both are together it becomes a case of the sign knows where it is because it knows where it isn't....

[@HistoryofEverythingChannel]

I love this one. It's just so... French

[@janisreifsteck78]

Thank you!

[@kaltaron1284]

i hazily remember those cartoons. Not much though. Another cool thing is the songs they play in Japan at 7 pm IIRC to check the emergency warning systems.

[@Spaffel]

As one of your German viewers it was nice to hear some German words in this video. Idk why It’s just fun. Thanks

[@vetar3372]

Reminds me of the old footwalk signs in Norway

[@jzdude01]

For my 7th birthday we had a trip to Hershey Pennsylvania. I loved how the street lights were Hershey kisses.

[@Yes-es8it]

I saw a video on soviet bus stations a little while back wonder if we could do something with soviet architecture?

[@jcdisci]

Never been to Berlin; never been to Germany. I HAVE, however, been thru WEST Germany, driven thru EAST Germany (including Checkpoints Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie), and visited WEST Berlin, to include the Berlin Wall. Quite the experience.

[@HoltAircraft]

I noticed that in Iceland there are a bunch of things from Roads to Hotels to a whole part of Reykjavik that are named "Holt", being that that is my last name I asked locals, turns out my last name is Icelandic and when I looked into my family history that checks out, family were all Vikings on both sides and "Holt" means "hill" in English.

[@qlum]

Factoid about traffic lights, for pedestrians, in the Netherlands you see more and more ones that don't have a red light, just a green and orange. As pedestrians are allowed to cross anywhere they want as long as there is no red light (so also just a couple of meters to the side) and red lights are often ignored by them anyway.

[@marcusott2973]

The first time I went to Berlin was as a teenager on a school trip, was exactly after the wall came down but before the dissolution of the DDR. There was a huge "flea" market around check point Charlie and around the Reichstag. Everyone was selling Communist and Red Army parafernalia, but no Ampelmänchen yet. I have an authentic piece of Berlin wall, because I chiselled it out myself. The most absurd picture I remember was the DDR Border Patrol, patrolling in a boat along the Spreekanal as if the wall was still standing, 3 men with binoculars staring intently, Dienst nach Vorschrift, while people just milled about on the border strip.

[@nomoss9600]

Why does the little guy make me think of Fallout guy? Trick question,

[@businesscasualsauron]

As someone who appreciates little things like "Oh hey, they use different colours and patterns for their road markings!" when I'm abroad, this is entirely up me street.