Cicy's Projects

Given that this week I am travelling and could not bring my sewing projects with me, I would like to pay tribute to those movies that shaped my childhood and young adulthood, and that surely played a big part in my love for those golden olden times. I learnt about history in school (supposedly… I remember nothing), but I gained my knowledge of their lifestyles from the movies I watched. Instead of ambience music, we often had our favourite movies and series playing in the background whilst living our family lives. Therefore, movies and series have always been a key part of my life, and I’ve always been obsessed with those children/young adult movies my parents were brought up with in Hungary. Let’s dive into some of the Hungarian gems that taught me life and why I loved them.

First, and foremost, we have Utánam, Srácok!, a Hungarian young adult series that aired in 1975 with 6 episodes, each around 30 minutes long. It follows the life of a couple of grade-schoolers as they navigate their social lives, have rivalries, confusions, and clever tricks. I loved watching this mini-series because the main character’s tricks fascinated me. I loved the social dynamics and the characters’ personalities. Every episode was great and never for a second boring. The soundtrack is AMAZING! I literally have had it as my ringtone for the past 7 years.

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I cut it out from the movie.

Then, we have Bezzeg a Töhötöm!, a Hungarian young adult movie that aired in 1977. Similarly to Utánam, Srácok!, Bezzeg a Töhötöm! takes place in grade school. The storyline is adorable: a young headteacher constantly compares her current class (the VI/B) to her previous students from a school on Töhötöm Street in an attempt to control them. Class VI/B has enough of this when the headteacher tells them that her previous students were better at music. Consequently, class VI/B challenges the students from Töhötöm Street to a musical duet. The only issue is that class VI/B is the young headteacher’s first class, and her previous class was made up only to keep her students in line. The movie is adorably tangled and confusing, and of course, it ends happily. I love this movie because it is adorable to see how the children are fighting for their truth; it was such an inspiration for my young brain.

Picture from

I cut it out from the movie.

Next, we have Keménykalap és Krumpliorr, a Hungarian young adult mini-series aired in 1974 and a shortened version as a movie in 1978. They are based on István Csukás’ novel about a group of grade schoolers (just for variety’s sake 😄) who are on a mission to create a circus to cheer up their sick friend who is bedridden. The movie has all sorts of stories tangled in it: the children attempt to locate stolen monkeys, they get into countless trouble, and of course get in a beef with the grumpy ice-cream man, who is up to no good. I read the book, and it was fantastic, but I loved watching Keménykalap és Krumpliorr a bit more, as it is an altogether feel-good movie that shows how strong friendships can be. To be fully honest, I also loved this movie as a child because I loved Süle, the loyal sidekick who I found to be super funny and cute. Last but not least, the soundtrack of this one is superb too; whenever I heard it, I got excited.

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I cut it out from the movie.

Another one is the Szeleburdi család aired in 1981 and the Szeleburdi vakáció in 1987. These are Hungarian family comedies based on Ágnes Bálint’s novel, which is also very good. Both movies follow a family’s life that consists of the mom, the dad, a parrot, and three kids who always have their friends around. Everyone is always non-stop buzzing, which makes an interesting and complicated life. In the first movie, they live in a small apartment, and we follow their lives as their wealthy neighbours complain non-stop. The second movie follows the family on their vacation, where (as expected) everything goes wrong, and everything is complicated. Both movies are very loud and noisy, easy to follow, but absolutely tangled and ridiculous. I loved these movies because my family can be much like the Szeleburdi család, never with a dull moment, running around headless, and having friends over. Our house has always been just as loud and noisy as theirs in the movie, which I enjoyed seeing back on the big screen.

Picture from

I cut it out from the movie.

Now that you have an idea of the types of movies I was brought up with, you’ll understand when I say the one thing I love about these movies is how neat they are. The atmosphere is adorable, the colours are calm, and the soundtrack are always on point. None of these movies are over-stimulating, they don’t use obscene words, and they don’t have unnecessary aggression. The conflicts are there for a reason, and they always get resolved. These movies and series reflect calmness and thinking before acting and teach you (if nothing else) some handy and fun tricks. These movies are all about the importance of friendships, family, and life experiences. There is nothing not to like in these movies and series; they are feel-goods that I still watch sometimes.

Today’s Special Moments Are Tomorrow’s Memories by Genie in The Return of Jafar (1994 animation)