The longest-running series in history started in 1966… And it continues to air every day

What do you think is the longest-running series in history? Perhaps One Piece, which exceeds 1000 episodes? Or the British soap opera Coronation Street, which has a total of 11,574 episodes? None of that: the longest-running series ever aired, still doing so in Germany, doubles Coronation Street and has been educating German children for 65 years. Its name, Sandmännchen, which you might be surprised to know… is a stop-motion puppet show! What a sight to see, huh?

Don’t laugh at the witch Avería

The first episode of Sandmännchen premiered on November 1, 1959, on West Germany’s television channel Sender Freies Berlin (SFB), which aired a very simple episode, soon followed by others. Of course, East Germany was not going to allow such an affront, and just three weeks after the start of the broadcast in their enemy (and neighboring) country, an alternative version began on the channel Deutscher Fernsehfunk.

This division continued until 1991, when the Berlin Wall was officially dismantled completely. Then came the doubt: Which version should they keep in a reunified Germany? In the end, the East turned out to be more popular due to its innovation: it showcased technological advancements (socialist, to be fair) and futuristic cars. In fact, the citizens there lamented that those from the West had “appropriated” the character (despite appearing there first) and decided to stick with the Sandmännchen from there.

It is not surprising, then, that it has more than 22,200 episodes divided into 61 seasons: after all, for thirty years different episodes were broadcast in two countries at the same time! Such is the success that even in 2010 they released a movie in theaters that continued the same spirit of the series, Das Sandmännchen – Abenteuer im Traumland. However, if you want to watch it and have no idea about Germany, it might surprise you, because it is based on a good number of images and regional myths, such as kobolds (spirits that inhabit houses) or water fairies. And yes, if you are wondering, even now an episode is broadcast every night lasting about 10 minutes, which, in the midst of 2025, has been adapted to modern times to remain relevant.

Everyone to dream!

It is very difficult for a program to achieve the milestone of having more than 22,200 episodes again. However, there is another series -also for children- that surpasses Sandmännchen in years on air. It is a show from the United Kingdom titled Blue Peter, which began airing on October 16, 1958 and continues to this day after 5,294 episodes (so far). In fact, it has increased its duration: it started as a small 15-minute program and is now half an hour long.

The program, like a good variety show, became famous for one of its segments, where they showed how things we use in our daily lives are made. Christopher Trace, the host of the early shows, would transition between segments with the phrase “And now for something completely different”. Yes, Monty Python fans just had a realization: John Cleese was paying tribute to Blue Peter when he coined his famous joke!

By the way, the format just changed right now, when they announced that it would stop being broadcast live and would be completely pre-recorded. After all, 67 years is nothing. Interestingly, the longest-running non-children’s series or telenovela in history is also British, the legendary Doctor Who, which has had its ups and downs and periods off the air but totals 62 years on the air. In times of series canceled after two seasons and shows that we forget from one year to the next, it’s nice to remember that there are still people making television the old-fashioned way. That said, don’t try to binge-watch 22,200 episodes!