Raťafák Plachta

Appearance
Raťafák Plachta is made up of blankets (to appear as sails of a boat), a long neck (fitted as a glove), and a large head with a big nose, buck teeth, blue eyes, short white hair, and circular cheeks.

Personality
Raťafák enjoys learning new things, playing with his children friends, and visiting different places around Slovakia. He is also clumsy, playful & friendly. Raťafák’s favorite sport is presumed to be boxing, since he mentions it whenever the children learn about sports. His favorite animal is a dog.

Species
Raťafák stated in the episode Z poštavej schránky that he is a Raťafák, characterized by his big nose. He gets sick easily because of this. He is also characterized by the sail (plachta) that he is made of. In reality, he is not based on anything.

It was confirmed by Peter Cigán that Raťafák is not a boy, therefore having no gender (agender).

Creation
Raťafák Plachta was created by Peter Cigán and Eva Farkašová. It was intended for the puppet to look unusual. According to Peter Cigán, the puppet was created between 1973 and 1979.

Some believe Raťafák was inspired by Big Bird from Sesame Street, due to their similar personalities and size.

Life
As shared in Tu sme doma, Raťafák lives with his friend Mím Valentín (whom he calls “Valentínko”) in a big house (which is seen in O sladkých koláčikoch). Raťafák frequently throws parties for his children friends. He owns a dog.

Political History
During Raťafák’s presidential candidacy, his goal was to unite the country. This was considered to be too vague by many, but he later became the most supported candidate because of these views.

After his unsuccessful run he, along with his friend Kuko, decided to become the mayor and assistant mayor of Bratislava. They pledged for watches on fountains, free ice cream for children, and improved public transport. They also did not win this election