Rolling Fish

Commercial vehicle of the soap "Žuvelė" (Little Fish) in Vabalninkas. Courtesy of LNM.

Once a strange creature appeared in the streets of Šeduva between the two world wars. It had the body of a fish, with bright scales, friendly smiling eyes and four wheels upon which it travelled throughout Lithuania. It was simply named Žuvelė, or Little Fish.

Every housewife had heard of Žuvelė. It was a Lithuanian soap brand widely advertised in the press and on the street. If you want the highest quality product, buy Žuvelė. If you want to wash your clothes without damaging them, buy Žuvelė. If you want your soap to last longer, Žuvelė saves you money. Markus Fridman, a Jewish man, built the Žuvelė soap factory in Klaipėda [Memel] in 1923. It produced soap until 1940 and was the biggest soap factory in the Baltic states.

Žuvelė's visit did not bring joy to the hearts of all in Šeduva. Šeduva resident Emilija Brajinskienė told us: "Everyone was horrifically frightened by the travelling fish, the children were terribly frightened."