Depending on if you get it at an event or buy it at a bakery, he may have more details and style. He could be made from multiple kinds of bread, giving him more than one color. He is sometimes holding a pipe (like Sherlock Holmes!) or a cane.
I actually ended up trying this specialty completely by accident! I was heading home to my apartment after a busy day in Heidelberg with a friend from the Fulbright program. On my walk from the train station, I passed through the main park in town. As I approached the Ludwigtor (the old looking gate structure you see in the background of some of the pictures from the event), I could see a crowd of people milling about, a bonfire and a LOT of lanterns. St. Martinstag, or St. Martin's day, is a minor German holiday that is all about children. Most cities in the southwest, like where I live in the region of Rheinland-Pfalz, hold St. Matinstag parades where children make small animal-shaped lanterns on sticks and march from the church to the festival site. The actual date of the holiday was going to be the following Tuesday, but they held the event on the Saturday before, instead.
Unfortunately, by the time I got to town, the parade was already over; but the partying had just gotten started. The set-up was quite simple, but perfect for family fun and outdoor play on a cool fall evening! There was lots of space to play. The playground was open (usually it is closed after dark), there was a bonfire and lots of little food stands. The atmosphere felt magical, and I was even more ecstatic when I found that there was a stand giving out one food item for free!
