Google honors cult Turkish movie series ‘Hababam Sınıfı’ with doodle nostalgia

ISTANBUL

Those who visited Google had the surprise of being greeted on screen by the Hababam Sınıfı heroes - and anti-heroes.

Google has once more struck the chords of nostalgia by digging deep into Turkey’s popular culture and commemorating the cult 1970s series “Hababam Sınıfı” with a doodle of the search engine’s Turkish page to mark the 85th birthday of late director Ertem Eğilmez. 

Basing his storyline on the acclaimed book of literary giant Rıfat Ilgaz, Eğilmez concocted a cherished comedy with colorful and warm characters who quickly became the road companions of so many: “Güdük Necmi,” who was “short” and mischievous; his handsome partner in crime, “Damat Ferit;” the rascal of the group, “Hayta İsmail;” the motherly caretaker “Hafize Ana” and her contagious laughter, as well as the kindhearted but naïve principal, “Kel Mahmut.”

Above them all, of course, was the darling of the audience, the oh-so-lovable cretin “İnek Şaban” or “Şaban the Nerd,” the timeless anti-hero of smart-asses.  

The characters’ never-ending shenanigans, silly pranks and sweet foolishness in their “Hababam Sınıfı,” which can be roughly paraphrased as the class which needs to be implored to do anything, have entertained generations of fans – including those born long after the 1970s – long allowing them to forget the country’s endless political or economic turmoil, at least for the length of an episode.  

All of them were depicted in Google’s doodle, in an unusually well-behaved fashion as – let’s admit – they seemed ready to listen to their principal’s soundly advice for once. 

The surviving actors in the series came together last month to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the beginning of their journey in Istanbul.

The date was also an opportunity to mourn once again those unforgettable stars who have passed away since then, such as Adile Naşit, who played Hafize Ana, whom the audience will always remember for her cackles and giggles; indeed, it was a laughter matched only by the guffaws of the late, great Kemal Sunal, who performed İnek Şaban.

The five movies shot by Eğilmez from 1974 to 1981, along with a sixth one directed by Kartal Tibet, continue to put a smile not only on the face of new generations, but also, fortunately, of Google geeks.