Mausspots (partially lost animated interstitials; 1970s-present)
This article has been tagged as Needing work due to its lack of organization and references.
Screenshot from an interstitial.
Status: Partially Lost
Maus is the star of German TV's longest-running educational show, Die Sendung Mit Der Maus (The Show With the Mouse, otherwise known internationally as Mouse TV).
Despite Maus's wildly successful 40-year run, broadcaster WDR hasn't been kind to his interstitial animations, known as Mausspots. These consist of one-minute cartoons showcasing the antics of Maus and his pals, Elefant (a midget blue elephant), Ente (a yellow duck) and Hase (a pink bunny).
In recent years, WDR has been showing only the Mausspots from the 1980s and 1990s onward, on the original show as well as the international versions distributed under the Mouse TV banner. The majority from the early years sadly remain lost as WDR refuse to show them on Maus's website or make any plans to remaster them for future airings.
WDR's parent company [ARD]'s website only has 2 early animations of Maus, one of which is the first intro from 1971. However, there are scraps of Mausspots that are disconnected from their original broadcast floating about on YouTube.