Now one could say: the yellow comic hand with sunglasses, „Post-Rolf,“ who promoted the introduction of five-digit postal codes in Germany in 1992, stands alongside animated advertising icons like the HB-Männchen. He has become a part of German pop culture. But how did it happen?

In the 1990s, you couldn’t avoid Ully Arndt when it came to creating comic characters with mass appeal. After the elaborate commercials of the communications campaign for the postal code transition flopped more or less with the target audience, the responsible advertising agency, Lintas, sought a communication strategy that would resonate with the masses—comics were the solution!

Ully Arndt: „Surprisingly, I had almost complete creative freedom, which allowed me to go all out and create this subversive character, Rolf. He’s a reflection of the everyday citizen, completely overwhelmed by the new postal codes, symbolized by the massive postal code directory. But Rolf takes it all in stride and always has the last cheeky word! What was also important to me was the classic ‚Tom & Jerry‘ cartoon format. Fortunately, the Post Communications team recognized the unusual potential, and things took off: 13 TV commercials, a massive billboard campaign, stickers on mailboxes and cars—it was absolutely crazy, and insanely successful!“