Created by the puppetmaster and director Gerhard Behrendt, the East German show represented everyday life, travel, and fantastic adventures.

The character often showcased socialist technological achievements, such as the use of awe-inspiring vehicles like futuristic cars and flying devices.

The East German version was ultimately more popular, and repeats of episodes are still broadcast today.

The Sandman often visited other countries, and this fact was frequently emphasised by the use of traditional instrumentation and harmony added to the score.

The theme song in Norway went as follows: In English, this means: The first verse of the theme song in Swedish was: In English, this means: The theme song in Finland was: In English, this means: The Sandmännchen stories contained a number of characters who remain popular today: Even after German unification merged the former German Democratic Republic into the Federal Republic of Germany, the Sandmännchen has retained a following, and it continues to be shown every night on German television.