vladimír
mráz
vladimír
mráz
Ideas for the series
The ideas were being developed into scripts for a co-production with a German film company. But then came the revolution of 1989, the ties were severed and the series was never made. The author, however, took the writing of these fairy tales as a personal escape, and so he kept going. To date there are twenty-six of them.
How it all began
In 1986, the Tales of the Elf Storekeeper won the competition for the best concept for an animated series held by Krátký film Praha. The unusual setting of a department store, with a hero who tries to help and sacrifice for others even in such a materialistic place as a shop, and the exaggeration in the almost philosophical, Werich-like spirit — that is what caught everyone's attention.
Titles of the individual tales
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1. The Toy Car that could only drive to the left
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2. The shirt that no one wanted
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3. The tyrant puppet king whose string broke
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4. The guitar string that was out of tune
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5. The winking doll that didn't wink
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6. The hanger that almost won a prize
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7. The little pig that chased money
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8. How the Elf fell in love with the glass dancer
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9. How the Elf snuffed out the vain match
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10. The memory card that had not lost its memory
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11. How the calculator did inventories
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12. The baby who kept crying
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13. The wrench who was looking for the golden bottom
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14. The doll who wanted all the toys
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15. The Stopwatch that always finished second
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16. Christmas at the Department store
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17. The compass which always pointed differently
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18. The Christmas tree which didn't die
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19. The school bag which was too small
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20. The door that creaked
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21. The mannequins that didn't like each other
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22. The sumo wrestler who couldn't concentrate
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23. The treadmill, that was, what he wasn't
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24. The giggling bag which never lost his sense of humor
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25. The spade which had no instruction manual
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26. The Punching Bag that didn't want to be punched
The authors
The book's author, Vladimír Mráz, is a long-time television screenwriter and director (the feature-length animated film "Báječná show" and the children's shows "Draci v hrnci" and "Tý Brďo!"). He also works at the animation studio QQ studio Ostrava, which produces visual effects for feature films such as "Princezna zakletá v čase" (The Princess Cursed in Time) and the upcoming "Zlatovláska" (Goldilocks). The book's illustrator, Barbora Křístková, created the visual look of the children's show "Tý Brďo!" and has already illustrated several books.
"We believe in the playful yet wise content of this book — a book that does not preach to children, but reads between the lines what a child really needs in order to make sense of the complicated world around us. These are, in fact, modern fairy tales from the world of today, carrying the old, traditional wisdom."
Buy the audiobooks, e-books and printed books
You can buy the tales directly from us — and you'll get the best price, because you're buying straight from the source.
We first created the audiobook together with the late Norbert Lichý, and then translated the book into Slovak, Polish, English and Portuguese and recorded it as audiobooks. So you can listen to it in the Slovak version by Milan Kňažko, in Polish by Karol Suszka, the former director of the Těšín Theatre, in English by university lecturer and native speaker David Livingstone, and in Portuguese by the director and children's book author António Pedro Nobre.
You can also listen to or buy them on Audiolibrix or Audioteka.
From 1 September 2026 you can also buy the printed book from us, with a personal dedication from the author, in the qqstudio e-shop.
And also at every bookseller across the Czech Republic.
Tales of the Elf Storekeeper
When the last customer leaves and the lights go out, the department store comes alive. The goods start talking — and every one of them has a worry.
A shirt on its hanger is crying because nobody wants to take it home. A guitar string is hopelessly out of tune. A little box of matches has become far too proud. A doll that was supposed to blink simply can't. And a toy car can only turn left.
Luckily, there is someone who listens. The Elf Storekeeper is a small, kind-hearted sprite who knows the department store better than its own manager — and would happily give you the shirt off his back. He solves every trouble with humour, patience and a lot of love — never with a lecture.
From the pen of Vladimír Mráz, creator of the beloved Czech children's shows "Draci v hrnci" (Dragons in a Pot) and "Tý Brďo!", come stories carrying a warm, playful humour in the spirit of Jan Werich's storytelling: cheerful on the surface, quietly wise underneath. Twenty-six short fairy tales, each about four minutes long, each ending with a gentle lesson.
Perfect bedtime listening for children aged 5 to 9 — and for the grown-ups who listen along.
info@qq.cz
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