UPDATE, December 24, 2022:
We were finally able to identify the watch on the third album cover (see below)...
In this section, we want to introduce you to sneakers we’ve stumbled upon in various media. This is a section that used to exist on this site 20 years ago and is now being revived.
Today, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and traveling back to the ’70s with a touch of nostalgia. We’re talking about the 1979 series “Timm Thaler,” also known as “Das verkaufte Lachen.”
More specifically: We’re focusing on the vinyl version of the radio play, because we noticed a product placement for a particular brand on each of the different covers (Parts 1–3).
“Timm Thaler” is a 13-episode German TV series produced by ZDF during the Christmas season. It’s based on the 1962 novel “Timm Thaler” by James Krüss and was directed by Sigi Rothemund.
Although the series follows the plot of the book, it deviates significantly from it in many parts. The lead actor, Thomas Ohrner, became a child star of his generation right after the first broadcast, and the series was a huge success.
"Timm Thaler" or "The Lost Laughter" is about 13-year-old Timm Thaler, who is loved by everyone and has a contagious laugh. Opposing him is Baron de Lefouet (Horst Frank), a grim businessman. Together with his servant, LeFouet plans to buy Timm’s laughter from him.
To do so, the baron causes Timm’s father—a flight instructor—to crash and exploits the boy’s grief and susceptibility to manipulation. He offers Timm the chance to settle his father’s gambling debts by selling his laugh.
Tim agrees, and the baron exploits the boy’s laugh to win people over and create a false image of himself. Tim becomes increasingly unhappy and eventually sets out to get his laugh back.
The series, which was very successful in Germany, was later even broadcast on the British BBC under the name “The Legend of Tim Tyler.” In 2002, a 26-episode animated series based on the novel was also produced.
It wasn’t until 2017 that the story of Timm Thaler was released in Germany as a film reboot.
The aforementioned radio play is based on the audio tracks from the series and was released as a set of three LPs.
On the cover of the first episode, titled “Timm Thaler—The Boy Who Sold His Laughter,” you can see the young actor on a skateboard in a typical ’70s outfit.
On his feet, we spotted the adidas Vienna—a clever product placement by the sports brand that surely led to the sale of a sneaker or two. Right behind him is another child on a skateboard.
We’re not entirely sure about this one. While the adidas Vienna was also available in black and white, the three stripes are spaced farther apart. It could therefore also be the adidas Köln II or the Monaco. Something, something, something City Series… or is it just the good old Samba after all?
On the cover of the second record, titled “Timm Thaler—The Mysterious Island of Arawanadi,” you can see a startled Timm. He’s wearing a striped shirt and a denim jacket from the American brand Wrangler.
The brand, best known for its jeans, has been around for many years and was registered as a trademark in Germany in 1967.
The third and final part of the radio play titled “Timm Thaler – Timm’s Adventurous Return” also features product placement on the cover.
You can see Timm laughing in front of a mirror with the Baron in the background. The boy is wearing a digital watch on his wrist. Unfortunately, we were unable to identify the manufacturer here.
We’ve already done some research, but neither Casio, Seiko, Timex, Eurochron, Citizen, Dugena, MBO, Meister Anker, Prestinox, nor Rowi turned up a match. Maybe you can recognize it. We’d appreciate any tips.
UPDATE, December 24, 2022:
We’ve finally been able to identify the watch. It’s a Braun Digital DW 30 from 1978/1979. As we’ve come to expect from Braun, the design is minimalist.
The watch is the successor to the DW 20, which was released a year earlier but was taken off the market due to problems with the LCD module.
The new square design by Dieter Rams and Dietrich Lubs was a significant departure from the round DW 20, which is why Braun conducted a series of acceptance tests.
The proposed new design was presented to both the public and specialty retailers, and their feedback was solicited.
Prototypes were produced in both black and silver versions and with metal or leather straps. A rubber strap was also proposed.
It consisted of a thin precious metal band encased in a U-shaped rubber frame and featured raised dots on the underside. However, this option was rejected very early on.
Although the recommended retail price for the DW30 was one-third higher than that of the DW20, 80% of participants in the acceptance test preferred the new rectangular shape. Although 55% preferred the metal strap, the leather option was ultimately put into production.
Dieter Rams himself preferred the metal bracelet, as he found the contrast between the silver watch case and the black leather strap too stark. Nevertheless, he wore a silver DW30 with the grooved leather strap for many years.
Following the issues with the DW20 LCD module, Braun took a year to improve and develop an updated module for the DW30.
This significantly improved LCD module had the same functions as that of the DW20, but featured larger numbers that better complemented the overall design and were easier to read.
The module could be programmed to display either the hours/minutes continuously or to alternate between hours/minutes and a date/month display every few seconds.
When the display is set to hours/minutes, pressing the right button once switches the display to date/month for a few seconds before returning to hours/minutes. Pressing the right button twice switches the display to elapsed seconds.
Pressing it again switches the display back to hours/minutes. The left button was for the backlight.
Although it features a completely new design, the same materials and finishing processes used in the DW20 were employed in the manufacture of the DW30 case. The rectangular shape of the case and the display, as well as the function buttons on the top, give the watch a distinctive look.
The length of the watch case required the back to be curved to follow the shape of the wrist. This makes the watch appear flatter and emphasizes its lightness.
Even from below, where the base plate is secured with four Phillips-head screws with very deep countersinks, it looks “well-designed.” The metal trim strips integrated into the ends of the leather strap are threaded to accommodate these screws.
The leather strap was unique to the DW30 and was available with either a grooved or smooth surface. A rubber gasket is incorporated between the base plate and the case.
The watch can occasionally be found on eBay; here is a current listing by user kuratorg, who kindly provided the photos.
(c) The scene photos on the cover art are by Lilo Winterstein / The cover design is by Ariola-Eurodisc/Studios
The TV series *Timm Thaler* (1979) is a production by TV 60 Filmproduktion commissioned by ZDF.
The book *Timm Thaler or The Sold Laughter* by James Krüss was published in 1962 by Oettinger Verlag.
The series is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Information on the Braun DW 30 via Jack Norman @ TZ-UK.com
Thanks to David Simon for identifying the watch!
