Pat & Mat

Names

The original name of the series was Kuťáci (The Tinkers), but when production of episodes started for ČST Bratislava, a Slovak name was required, and the crew eventually settled for ... a je to! (... and it's done!).^[2] The characters themselves were nameless until 1989, when they were given the names Pat and Mat. "Pat" and "mat" are the Czech and Slovak terms for stalemate and checkmate respectively, but despite popular belief, this is not where Pat and Mat's names come from; they are shortened forms of Czech expressions "patlal" and "matlal", which can roughly be translated as "clumsy" and "awkward".^[3] The authors intentionally gave the characters short and universal names suitable for a worldwide audience.^[2]

Premise

According to the authors, it is manual ineptitude that inspires the stories. Alongside the humour, another motif of the show is the importance of an optimistic approach towards life. The two characters always get into problematic situations, but they never give up until they solve the problem in imaginative ways.^[4] Pat and Mat typically find a solution in the end, usually via a surprising or innovative method, after which they shake hands, before making their trademark hand gesture with a bent hand and closed fist.

Struggles

Although the authors wanted to continue shooting after the initial short, their studio Krátký film did not allow them to do so. The reason given was that Kuťáci were just ordinary entertainment not appropriate for the cultural policy of the time, but as the Slovak Television in Bratislava showed interest in further episodes, twenty-eight episodes were produced for them instead, with great success.^[2]

Further productions

The characters were revived in 2009 by Beneš for a new series, Pat a Mat na venkově (Pat & Mat in the Country). The pilot, "Postele" ("Beds"), premiered at the 50th Zlín Film Festival in 2010.^[5] 12 more episodes followed between 2011 and 2015, produced by Patmat Film and filmed in 16:9. Beneš directed and wrote all 13 episodes. Eight of the episodes were released on DVD in 2013 and received their TV premiere on the Dutch channel VPRO on 9 June of the same year, with the rest following soon.

To celebrate the show's 40th anniversary, Gusto Entertainment produced full-length feature film released in cinemas in 2016. The film, Pat a Mat ve filmu (Pat & Mat in a Movie), featured ten of the 2009–2015 episodes with linking segments and was shown in cinemas in several countries, including the Netherlands.^[6]

From 2018 until 2020, 39 new episodes divided into three 13-part series were made in Patmat film, co-produced by Czech Television and Netherlands-based JUST Productions, again directed by Beneš. The animation for more than half of these episodes was produced in a Chinese studio to speed up work.^[7] New episodes for Pat a Mat na venkově series were announced by Czech Television since 2021.^[8]

Unreleased 50th episode

The studio initially planned to make further episodes of the new series, with the possibility of half-hour episodes and a feature film in the future.^[9] Due to these circumstances, Playing Cards has never been released or distributed in the Czech Republic and most of the world, even though it entered competition at Annecy in 1999.^[10]

Although the episode was pulled from distribution, a screenshot from it was posted on aiF Studio's website. The former Prague management later set up a new studio at the same location, Animation People, and posted more screenshots on their website, which were eventually replaced with a short, silent clip of the episode.^[11] In August 2025 the episode was uploaded on the official Pat a Mat YouTube channel.^[12]

Fox Kids airings

In 2003 Fox Kids Europe bought the rights from Ateliéry Bonton Zlín to air episodes 2–26.^[15]