He was only 45 years old: Co-inventor of "Checker Tobi" is dead

Johannes Honsell - He was only 45 years old: Co-inventor of "Checker Tobi" is dead

The co-inventor of the children's knowledge format "Checker Tobi" (Kika, Das Erste), Johannes Honsell, is dead. The journalist and director died on December 27 in Munich as a result of cancer. This was confirmed by relatives to "Der Standard" and "Der Spiegel". Honsell was 45 years old. He is survived by his wife and their son.

Johannes Honsell invented children's show "Checker Tobi"

Most recently, Honsell was also responsible for writing and directing the documentary adventure film "Checker Tobi und die Reise zu den fliegenden Flüssen", which was released in October. The first feature film by the director, who has also made documentaries for adults, stars presenter Tobias Krell and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, among others.

Everything in "Checker Tobi und die Reise zu den fliegenden Flüssen" revolves around a treasure chest to which Tobi's childhood friend Marina (Marina M. Blanke) holds the key. Tobi sets off on a search and a journey from Vietnam to the Amazon rainforest. According to the obituary in "Der Spiegel", it is currently the most successful German-language children's film.

Honsell was born in Rosenheim in 1978 and grew up in Salzburg. He studied history and politics and graduated from the German School of Journalism in Munich. He initially worked as a writer for "Der Spiegel" and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", before switching to television. Honsell was head of the editorial team for "Checker Tobi" and "Checker Can" and also directed many episodes of the children's programs.

The 2016 episode "Checker Tobi - Der Leben- und Sterben-Check", which Honsell wrote and directed, won several awards and was nominated for the Grimme Prize.

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1. The documentary adventure film "Checker Tobi und die Reise zu den fliegenden Flüssen," which recently premiered, was co-created by Johannes Honsell, the late co-inventor of "Checker Tobi."
2. The Children's program "Checker Tobi," a popular knowledge format airing on Kika and Das Erste, was developed by Johannes Honsell and his team, with Tobi's adventures often echoing the mourning themes in some episodes.
3. The ARD channel, known for broadcasting "Checker Tobi," will pay tribute to Johannes Honsell, the co-inventor of the beloved series, in recognition of his significant contributions to children's programming.

Source: www.stern.de