much beloved by Finnish audiences (and receive regular airings on the YLE) the overall quality of the series has often been put to question. In interviews, Armand Lohikoski also noted that filming the comedies was far from easy and he feels that the overall quality of the films did suffer because they were made with a low budget and often with volume only in mind. Understandably, the films have never been popular with critics. Several incidents, particularly the less-than-believable Yeti costume from the 1954 film were some of the things that Lohikoski was never proud of. Also, the alcoholic tendencies of Masa Niemi caused problems when he refused to come to shootings. The film series eventually ended after Niemi committed suicide. Controversy Also potentially stereotypical depictions of Blacks and Arabs have also caught the eyes of contemporary critics, though it could be argued that the Arabs from the 1958 film were depicted as required. However, the final 1960 film Pekka and Pätkä as Negroes has received much criticism due to its title. Many however feel that the criticism is harsh, due to the term being quite neutral in Finnish language at the time, and the theme of the main-characters posing as blacks only takes up a small portion of the actual film. It is perhaps notable that Pikkarainen calls the pair "cannibals", but again this is a very brief and unimportant part of the film which (as usual) turns against Pikkarainen at the end. Another more plainly offensive scene was from a dream-sequence in one of the films in which Pekka and Pätkä are bathing in a pot, surrounded by African natives, oblivious to the fact that they are being cooked alive. Legacy The films have subsequently been shown on TV many times and are part of YLE's regular broadcast cycle. The films would also be released in various collections on DVD. Esa Pakarinen would continue to play Pekka Puupää on stage after the end of the film series in 1960. He hired Pekka Lappalainen to play Pätkä with him during these performances. The series experienced a short-lived revival in the mid-1980s. Director Visa Mäkinen produced Pekka & Pätkä ja tuplajättipotti in 1985, starring Mauri Kuosmanen as Pekka, Jaakko Kallio as Pätkä, Kristiina Elstelä as Justiina and Ilmari Saarelainen as Janitor Pikkarainen. The unexpected success of the film led to a short TV show in 1986. Only three episodes were