Imagine hearing a long-lost childhood voice again – exactly as you remember it. That’s what happened when Pumuckl, the beloved red-haired kobold from 1980s German television, returned to screens with the voice of his original actor, Hans Clarin. Clarin passed away in 2005, but thanks to cutting-edge AI voice technology, his unmistakable voice was brought back for a new generation of fans.
About New Stories of Pumuckl
Pumuckl is a legendary German kobold character created by Ellis Kaut in the 1960s. He became a household name through the 1980s TV series “Meister Eder und sein Pumuckl” (“Master Eder and his Pumuckl”). The character is known for his mischievous personality and for the iconic, high-pitched Bavarian voice provided by actor Hans Clarin.
In 2023, the series returned with "Neue Geschichten vom Pumuckl” (“New Stories of Pumuckl”), set in modern Munich alongside Master Eder’s nephew. To honor the original, producers rebuilt the 1980s workshop and focused on a "loving" modernization. Their biggest challenge was clear: restoring the late Hans Clarin’s iconic voice to ensure Pumuckl would remain instantly recognizable.
The Challenge: A Voice Silenced by Time
Recasting Pumuckl’s voice would have been the easiest option, but it risked breaking the emotional bond audiences had with Clarin’s performance. Pumuckl doesn’t age, and his voice couldn’t either. The challenge was how to authentically bring Hans Clarin’s voice back to life years after his passing.
The Respeecher team faced several key obstacles:
- Deeply expressive performance: Clarin’s performance included dialect, emotion, and signature non-verbal sounds that couldn’t be reduced to clean dialogue alone. Any solution had to preserve the full character, not just the voice.
- Ethics and transparency: Approval from Hans Clarin’s family was essential, and transparency around how the technology would be used was non-negotiable.
- Limited training material: The only available target material consisted of old, noisy recordings, never intended for AI training, and ranged from whispers to shoutsNo precedent: This was the first time AI voice recreation was used at scale for a German TV series. Thirteen episodes depended on a fully synthesized voice.
This wasn’t just a technical task – it was about restoring a cultural icon with care, precision, and respect.
Process: How Respeecher Revived Pumuckl’s Voice
Respeecher built an AI voice model of Hans Clarin using archival recordings from the original series. The material was highly expressive and technically challenging, requiring extensive preparation before training the voice conversion model.
Through close collaboration with the Neuesuper team, Respeecher refined the model until it felt emotionally authentic. Actor Maximilian Schafroth performed all dialogue, which Respeecher’s AI converted then into Clarin’s voice while preserving timing, emotion and character.
Every episode was carefully polished and quality-checked, resulting in a natural, expressive performance across 13 episodes, faithfully bringing Pumuckl back to life.
Result: A Nostalgic Triumph and a Glimpse of the Future
When New Stories of Pumuckl premiered, audiences heard Hans Clarin’s voice again – nearly 20 years after his passing. The result resonated across generations, allowing parents who grew up with Pumuckl to share the same voice and character with their children.
Transparent use of AI reinforced trust and highlighted the quality and craftsmanship behind the work. Beyond a single series, the project proved that AI can preserve cultural heritage when used responsibly, honoring iconic performances rather than replacing them.
For Respeecher, it became a defining example of how ethical voice technology can support storytelling, revive beloved characters, and bring timeless voices back – without losing their soul.
Create With Us
At Respeecher, we believe every story, whether a nostalgic revival or a cutting-edge production, can benefit from a little "voice magic". We deliver that magic through AI voice technology, while upholding the highest standards of creativity, quality, and ethics.
Let’s write the next chapter together – whether it’s breathing life into a silent legend or inventing a voice that wows the world.
