Monday, June 25, 2012

Nighttime routine - Die Drei Fragezeichen.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend and got lots of sleep. Do you  have a nighttime routine? I can't just go to bed, close my eyes and fall asleep. Not possible, I don't know why. Even when I go to bed at 3 am. I need my nighttime routine.

Sure, the first thing I do is to brush my teeth, wash my face (with the fabulous Herbalism from Lush. I love the product, my skin feels so fresh and clean. Plus you look like the Hulk when you use it) and use some night cream. 

When I am in bed I usually read first (Before I start to read I get a good-night-kiss from David, that's the most important part of my routine.). I can't sleep without reading at least a couple of pages. I got a Kindle last  year for Christmas (Thanks so much to my wonderful parents-in-law!) and it is perfect to read in bed. I don't need a lamp and I don't make loud noises when I have to turn the page. I also have a pile of books next to my bed. I love my Kindle but I could never live without real books. I think it's  the collector in me. I love to a bookshelves full of books, I love to go to bookstores and smell all the wonderful books....my Kindle doesn't smell. They should invent a Kindle with the smell of books. That would be awesome.

When I feel that I get really tired I stop reading and grab my iPod. It is full of episodes of Die Drei Fragezeichen, The Three Investigators in English.



                                                              
It is a juvenile detective book series and I started to read them when I was a child. There is also a taped radio drama of every single book and that's what I listen to every night.  Again, it is the collector in me: I own a lot of books of the series, a lot of tapes (oldschool) and every episode as a mp3. Every time I go to a flea market and I see a book or a tape that I don't own yet, I have to buy it. I just have to. I love to see the whole series in my bookshelf. There are more than 150 episodes so far. It is the most popular radio play production in the world.

And yet, it is made for kids but I don't really feel like it's made for kids. I know so many adults who love to read the books or listen to the plays. Especially it's very famous in Germany. I think every kid grew up listening to Die Drei Fragezeichen, Benjamin Blümchen (an elephant) and Bibi Blocksberg (a teenage witch). 

I was fascinating by Die Drei Fragezeichen from the beginning and it never stopped. 
It was first published as "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators" and created by Robert  Arthur Jr. who believed that  using the name of movie director Alfred Hitchcock would attract a lot of attention. The first book was published in the early 60s and a lot of people believed that they were written by Hitchcock but he only allowed Arthur to use his famous name and face. 


In the first couple of books Die Drei Fragezeichen even meet Alfred Hitchcock as their client and mentor. Die Drei Fragezeichen are: Justus Jonas (in English Jupiter Jones, I don't know why they changed that. Germans....), Peter Shaw  (Peter Crenshaw) and Bob Andrews (surprisingly, he has the same name in German and in English). An important role plays their nemesis Skinny Norris. 

Die Drei Fragezeichen live in Rocky Beach, California and their headquarter is an old trailer. The investigators were typically introduced to a mystery through a client or by accidentally stumbling upon something unusual in their scrapyard of Uncle Titus Jones and Aunt Mathilda, who run a salvage business. The boys encountered baffling, sometimes misleading clues and danger before finally solving the mystery. 



Justus, Peter and Bob were able to solve their mysteries with relatively few resources: they generally could get by with little more than a telephone, bicycles, access to a library and - in a nod to the peripheral Hollywood setting of the series - a chauffeur-driven vehicle.

There are also several movies and even live plays. I have been to one in Saarbrücken a couple of years ago and it was unbelievable. A very unique experience. When the radio actors, who have been narrating the plays since 1979, toured the country, entire stadiums in major cities like Hamburg were packed. As you can see, Die Drei Fragezeichen are a big phenomenon in Germany. Die Drei Fragezeichen are a cult and the early books and tapes are collector items. 

Have you ever heard of  Die Drei Fragezeichen? Do you listen to plays like that? What's your nighttime routine?

16 comments:

  1. Gosh, I love "Die drei Fragezeichen"! I first saw the books and cassettes in our library when I was 7 or so and I fell in love with them, guess, we took the episodes, which were available, really often. And up till now, I love it, and I am still listening to them, well now on my MP3.
    And I also loved Benjamin Blümchen and Bibi!
    Thanks for bringing back some great childhood memories!
    Franziska

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    1. You're welcome, Franziska! I still love to listen to Die Drei Fragezeichen because it makes me feel like a child again. I love to be in bed and listen to their adventures. So relaxing at the end of a day! :)

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  2. Never heard about it, sounds interesting though!
    My nightime routine also includes a good-night kiss from my hubby, always a must. I also cant sleep without reading first, but my kindle is old school so I need the lamp on. Good thing my hubby sleeps later than I do! =)

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    1. I have one of those little book lamps when I read normal books. Pretty cool but it always falls down. :) Die Drei Fragezeichen are so great, I can't get enough!

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  3. Oh, wow, I had never heard of that! It sounds very interesting!

    I can't just go to bed either :/. It usually takes me a while to fall asleep. On Saturday, for instance, I went to bed at 4am and I felt exhausted and drained, but couldn't fall asleep till past 6am, boo!

    I wouldn't be able to replace books altogether either :p. David ha a Kindle Fire and he wants me to use it, but I won't, haha.

    Hope you've started the week off with a huge smile! ;D

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    1. Oh, wow! 6 am is pretty late. Or early! :) Die Drei Fragezeichen usually help me to fall asleep. I don't know why because they are so exciting. :)

      I have a Kindle Fire too and David never wants to use it. Haha.

      Have a wonderful week, Miki!

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  4. I can't believe I've never heard of Die Drei Fragezeichen!!
    I might have to look that up!!
    Hope you've had a fabulous monday!

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  5. I have a Nook and as much as I love it, I really really miss the smell & feel of old school books. Sometimes I'll go to the bookstore & just wonder around awhile for fun & to smell the books :)

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    1. I am so glad that I am not the only one who smells books. :) Haha.

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  6. I have not heard of Fragezeichen, I see I am missing out ;)
    Your komment about Kindle made me smile. I don't own one, and I have been very stubborn about not wanting one either, cause I love (I mean L O V E ) books, how they look, smell, everything about them. But I never thought about reading in bed, how you don't need a light and don't make any noise. And I clearly see the advantage when traveling... hmmm.

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    1. They are great! You should check them out!
      I looooooooove books so much, I will never stop buying (and smelling) books. But I agree, a kindle has an advantage when you travel and in bed when you don't want to leave the light on. I always thought I would NEVER get an ebook reader. :)

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  7. haha.... I got a Kindle from my parents-in-law for Christmas, too :D

    Die Drei Fragezeichen sind super! Ich habe auch Benjamin Blümchen und Bibi auf Kasette gehört. Und TKKG und Der kleine Vampir habe ich immer gelesen. Ich sollte mir die Drei Fragezeichen echt nochmal anhören!
    Alfred Hitchcock ist super! Finde ich klasse das du bei einem live-play warst, ich habe schön gehört das die super sein sollen!

    Viele Grüße,
    Miss SUgar Shack

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    1. Haha, that's awesome! :)) Nice parents-in-law! :)

      Oh, an TKKG hab ich ja in dem Moment gar nicht gedacht! Ich hab Dutzende von Buechern und Hoerspielen von denen! Die sind super! Die Helden meiner Kindheit!
      Ja, ich wuerd auf jeden Fall nochmal zu nem live-play gehen, die sind echt grossartig!

      Hab nen schoenen Tag!

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  8. Hallöchen!

    Ein sehr schöner Beitrag. Ich habe die drei Fragezeichen vor nicht allzulanger Zeit erst für mich entdeckt, bin aber nun ein großer Fan von ihnen. Und, ich höre sie auch fast nahezu immer wenn ich ins Bett gehe. Manchmal auch TKKG. Deren Kinderversion mag ich auch gerne. Und, es gibt ja noch DIE DREI. Von der Zeit, als der Rechtsstreit war. Da haben sie auch Jupiter Jones gelassen. Bibi Blocksberg und Benjamin Blümchen habe ich auch gehört. ;) Von Bibi Blocksberg habe ich fast alle als MP3. Nur ein paar neuere Folgen fehlen noch. ;) Bei den drei Fragezeichen und TKKG bin ich am sammeln. ;)

    Bevor ich anfange zu hören, lese ich auch gerne ein paar Seiten und vorher gibt es auch einen Kuss von meinem Freund. ;)

    Finde ich interessant, wie Zubettgeh-Gewohnheiten sich ähneln können. ;)

    Grüßchen :)

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    1. Dankeschön! Freut mich sehr!

      Ich find es so klasse, dass wir solch eine ähnliche Routine haben! Ich hab alle Drei Fragezeichen und TKKG als mp3, aber Bibi Blocksberg hab ich ja noch gar nicht als mp3 entdeckt! Da muss ich echt mal nach schauen, denn die würde ich mir auch supergerne mal wieder anhören!
      Liebe Grüße!

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