Samson en Gert

Samson en Gert (Dutch for "Samson and Gert") is a hugely popular Flemish children's program that ran from 1990 until 2005. A movie was made in 2008, along with a Christmas special. In 2010, a 20 year anniversary special was made.

The show revolves around Samson, a talking bobtail, and his owner, Gert. Samson is a hand puppet who usually sits inside his dog basket. He is a very naive, but well-meaning character who frequently mispronounces words and has to be corrected by Gert or the other humans in the room. Samson and Gert are frequently visited by friends, usually in function to the plot. Some actors were only present in early seasons and then replaced by new characters. (Like neighbour Joop Mengelmoes and Jeannine de Bolle, the mother of Octaaf.) Other former invisible characters were later played by actual persons. The most prominent characters over the course of the show's lifespan are Alberto, an Italianized barber who enjoys singing opera. "De Burgemeester", the major of the town who is interested in toy airplanes. And Octaaf de Bolle, the self-important owner of a grocery store and hobby gymnast. Every episode closes with a moral and a "Everybody Laughs" Ending.

The program quickly became an enormous success, which was doubled once the show was dubbed in French and also broadcast in the Netherlands. It became a huge Cash Cow Franchise with aggressive merchandising which spawned Studio 100, one of the largest European entertainment companies. Samson's name has led to comic strips, bread, clothing, toys, a magazine, films, Christmas shows, CDs, DVDs and even an amusement park!

Tropes used in Samson en Gert include:

Adult Child: Every character acts particularly child-like, sometimes with motivations like candy or cake.
Always Camp: Alberto is a flamboyant hairdresser who enjoys singing. Come on now.
Big Eater: Alberto can be bribed into doing anything if you promise him food.
Butt Monkey: Usually the character who cheats receives his comeuppance in the end.
Catch Phrase: Several times during the same episode
- Every character says "Ik moest kloppen want de bel doet het niet" ("I had to knock, because the doorbell doesn't work"). It's even a song.
- Alberto's "Ten eerste is 't "Alberto"." ("First of all, it's "Alberto"!), whenever Gert calls him Albert.
- Octaaf's "Dat is één van mijn specialiteiten" ("That's one of my specialties"), which he says about pretty much everything.
- Jeannine often blames everything her son Octaaf does wrong on his father's side of the family. All the things he does well are, of course, from her side of the family.
- Samson's "Dag, meneer die ik niet ken!" ("Hello, sir I don't know!"), whenever someone visits their house who he's never seen before.
  - He also mispronounces the word "problem" at least once each episode as "plobrem". The rest then loudly reminds him its pronounced "A PROBLEM".
The Cameo: Several Flemish and Dutch celebrities have had special guest appearances in the show.
Cash Cow Franchise
Character Focus: The Minister's Assistant during the last two seasons.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Several characters have been written out of the series over the years. Sometimes they are still mentioned, but always off screen like Octaaf's mother Jeannine after the actress who played her died in 2003.
Demoted to Extra: Alberto during the last few seasons, luckily he was still in the main cast.
Do Not Call Me "Paul": Alberto does not like to be called by his real name, Albert.
She Who Must Not Be Seen: Marlene, Gert's so-called girlfriend. Likewise with Bobientje, Samson's girlfriend. Every time Marlene is about to pay Gert a visit in the show, she calls it off because she's going on a date with Jean-Louis Michel again. He is never seen either.
Drop-In Character: Everybody except Samson and Gert.
"Everybody Laughs" Ending: Used regularly
The Movie: In 2008, "Hotel op Stelten"
No Name Given: The Minister's Assistant's real name is Roger De Zeper, but neither he nor anyone else calls him that.
No Pronunciation Guide: Samson has a tendency to mispronounce even the least complex names, verbs and nouns. Especially the word "problem" is a "plobrem" for him.
Paper-Thin Disguise: Oh yes, sometimes even multiple disguises in the same episode. In one episode, Octaaf dresses up as a little girl with pigtails. No one is bothered by his bushy mustache.
Parental Bonus: Many of Samson's misspoken words are words kids have never heard in their life.
Put on a Bus: Many characters during those 15 years.
Rule of Three: Whenever Samson is all alone in the room and needs Gert he shouts his name three times before Gert enters the room again.
Running Gag:
- The door bell doesn't work.
- De Burgemeester is usually secretly playing with his toy planes in his office whenever someone calls him by phone or door bell.
- Samson mispronounces words and names and is corrected by the others.
- Whenever someone announces he's going to say something there'll be a sudden knocking on the door. The character then says someone's at the door, while all the other characters believe that was what he was going to say originally.
Saturday Morning Kids Show: From 1994 to 1996, a studio show.
The Scrappy: Mr. Van Leemhuyzen
Straight Man: Gert. Sort of.
Talking Animal: Samson