a foggy night pond where a curious little sprite emerges under the first star

Slovenia · sung in Slovenian

Palček Smuk

"Palček Smuk" is the atmospheric opening narration of a much-loved animated series (a Czech cartoon dubbed into Slovenian) about a restless little water-sprite who comes out at the pond Brbotralnik once night falls.

Opens a YouTube search for this song in a new tab — nothing plays inside this page.

Besedilo (Lyrics)

Celotno besedilo pesmi »Palček Smuk« z angleškim prevodom.

Za tako gosto meglo, da bi jo lahko rezal, leži ribnik Brbotralnik. Čez dan je to čisto navaden ribnik. A ko zvečer pade črno črna tema.... se začno dogajati čuuudne reči. V mlaki najprej nekaj zabrbota, u bičevju nekaj poči... ....in šele potem se prikaže palček SMUK, to je nemiren škrat, radoveden kot miška, ki neutrudno pleza na .... ... dokler se na nočnem nebu ne prikaže prva zvezda.......

#

English translation

Behind fog so thick you could cut it, lies the pond Brbotralnik. By day it's a perfectly ordinary pond. But when, come evening, the pitch-black darkness falls… strange things begin to happen. First something bubbles in the puddle, something cracks in the reeds… …and only then does the little gnome SMUK appear, a restless little sprite, curious as a mouse, who tirelessly climbs up… …until the first star appears in the night sky.

#

Palček Smuk at a glance

Country of origin
🇸🇮 Slovenia
Sung in
Slovenian
Words by
Traditional
First known
Slovenian narration of a Czech animated series (1976/1983)
Best for ages
2–7
Mood
traditional
Last updated
25 July 2026

Meaning and origin

This is not a song but a piece of narration — the atmospheric opening that so many Slovenian children remember by heart from the Palček Smuk cartoon. It sets a wonderfully spooky-cosy scene: behind fog thick enough to cut lies the pond Brbotralnik, perfectly ordinary by day, but once the pitch-black night falls, “strange things begin to happen”. Something bubbles in the puddle, something cracks in the reeds — and out comes Smuk, a restless little water-sprite, curious as a mouse, who roams and climbs until the first star appears in the sky.

Its Slovenian words are famous, but the cartoon behind them is not local: Palček Smuk is a Czech animated series (from 1976 and 1983, directed by Zdeněk Smetana), lovingly dubbed into Slovenian, with the actor Jurij Souček as its unforgettable narrator. Because so many Slovenian children grew up meeting Smuk each evening through this narration, it has earned its place among the songs and rhymes of their childhood — a reminder that a nation’s shared nursery memories are not always home-grown, but the ones that arrive from elsewhere and are made their own.

Common questions

What is "Palček Smuk"?
It is the introductory narration to the animated series about Palček Smuk, a little water-sprite. By day the pond Brbotralnik is perfectly ordinary, but when pitch-black night falls, strange things begin: something bubbles in the puddle, something cracks in the reeds — and out comes Smuk, a restless little sprite, curious as a mouse, who climbs and roams until the first star appears.
Is "Palček Smuk" Slovenian?
The words are Slovenian, but the cartoon is not: "Palček Smuk" is a Czech(oslovak) animated series (from 1976 and 1983, directed by Zdeněk Smetana) that was dubbed into Slovenian, with Jurij Souček as the narrator. Generations of Slovenian children grew up with this Slovenian version.
Is "Palček Smuk" a song or a narration?
It is really a spoken narration — the atmospheric opening that sets the scene — rather than a sung song. We include it as the beloved introduction to the Smuk stories that so many Slovenian children remember.

Sources