Weird and Wild World of Werner
German cartoon character Werner with the Horex “Red Porsche Killer” based on true events. Image: Brösel
The last time I hung out in person with Ola Stenegärd, the Director of Design for Indian Motorcycle, was at the 2020 One Moto Show in Portland, Oregon, weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everyone down. Our weekly interactions since consist of idea and anecdotal exchanges on WhatsApp or Instagram, and recently the topic of Werner — the popular German cartoon character created by Brösel (born Rötger Feldmann) in the 1970s — caught my attention.
“They were a maaaassive cult in Germany!” Ola shared a few days ago. “Spun out of control. Beyond huge! Television shows, movies, rallies, drama, fallouts. The whole shebang! You should read up. Fascinating!”
So read up I did. I asked Ola for some base information before diving deep.