EASTALGIA I: MESSEMÄNNCHEN

Eastalgia (Ostalgie) refers to the longing of present-day East Germans for the times when the GDR was Communist, because of cultural aspects that were lost when the nation was unified.

Today's piece of Eastalgia is...

 

Messemännchen (Mr. Tradefair), the mascot of the Leipzig Trade Fair (where everything could be seen, but nothing could be purchased). Created by Gerhard Behrendt, more known as the father of the Sandmännchen. Isn't he cuuuuute?

Messemännchen's head is an orange Earth globe, for global trade. (!)

He's smoking a pipe and wearing a tie, looking rather smart.

He's wearing the local colours of Leipzig, cobalt and yellow 

(which happen to be the national ones of Sweden as well!).

The MM on his hat stands for Mustermesse, "trade fair". The name Messemännchen is a pun on the same initials.