Five-year-old Peter and his older brother Hans drop the Christmas present for their parents in the middle of the road and it gets flattened by a car. Deeply distressed, they go to a Christmas fair and buy a lottery ticket with their remaining money. To their delight, they win a washing machine! Peter is especially excited when Santa Claus shows up and promises to transport the machine for him, but the old man instead vanishes with the boys' gift. Hans is convinced that Peter has been conned and chases after the fleeing Santa. But Peter simply cannot believe that Santa Claus could be anything other than kind and helpful.
Acting
Rolf Herricht's deliciously shifty fake Santa steals every scene.
Production
Rare glimpse of 1960s East German Christmas fair authenticity.
Director
Ingrid Reschke
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made by DEFA, East Germany's state studio, this rare children's film subtly critiques consumer scarcity—winning a washing machine was genuine fantasy material in 1969 GDR.
Rolf Herricht was East Germany's most beloved comedian; casting him as a con man Santa was subversively cheeky.
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