Professor Balthazar () is a Croatian animated television series for children about an old inventor that was produced between 1967 and 1978. It was created by animator Zlatko Grgić. The series revolves around benevolent genius Professor Balthazar. In each episode, someone in his surroundings has a problem, which he duly considers and invariably finds a solution to. He then activates a magical machine and produces an invention that will solve the problem. The characters of the series do not speak in any intelligible language, and the plot of the episodes is instead recounted by a narrator in voice-over. History The series was created for television by the Croatian animator Zlatko Grgić at the Zagreb Film studio. Fifty-nine episodes of the cartoon were made between 1967 and 1978. The cartoon has been shown in subsequent years in several countries besides the former Yugoslavia, including Denmark, Finland, Germany (Westdeutscher Rundfunk), Iran, Italy, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden and Israel. Also, Canada, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The likely source of the cartoon's popularity is the general absence of violence or force as a means of solving problems. The professor himself is depicted as benevolent and pacifistic, always aiming to solve problems through imagination and reason, as well as ensuring that everyone ends up better off. From 1971 to 1973, episodes were featured on the American ABC-TV children's program Curiosity Shop. The cartoon inventor was the basis for the show's puppet character, Baron Balthazar, and the cartoons were shown as animated sequences of the Baron's tales of his adventures and inventions back in "beautiful downtown Bosnia". The cartoon was also shown in the United States in the 1980s on Pinwheel as well as on ABC in Australia and on CCTV in China. The cartoon was also shown in Asia in the 1990s on STAR TV. In 2011, all 59 episodes have been restored by DVDlab, and published on DVD. A new episode was produced in 2019, "Third time lucky", 52 years after the original show premiered. Credits Production Company: Zagreb / Windrose-Hamburg for WWF-Cologne Production Supervisor: Z. Pavičić Scripts: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović Directors: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović Animators: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović, T. Paus, L. Fabiani, N. Petrick, S. Drobnić Backgrounds: Zlatko Bourek, Branko Varadin, Srdjan Matić Camera: I. Hercigonja Music: Tomica Simović Music Supervisor: T. Brunšmid Sound: M.