Unser Sandmännchen, Das Sandmännchen, Abendgruß, Sandmann, Sandmännchen (Little Sandman) is a German children's bedtime television programme using stop motion animation. The puppet was based on the Ole Lukøje character by Hans Christian Andersen.

Two versions of Sandmännchen were created: one in East Germany (Unser Sandmännchen), and one in West Germany (Das Sandmännchen).

The original idea came from Ilse Obrig of West Berlin TV and radio station Sender Freies Berlin (SFB), who with the help of author Johanna Schüppel, developed a working version in 1958. The Little Sandman himself first appeared on screen in West Berlin in Sandmännchens Gruß für Kinder (Sandmännchen's Greeting to Children) on 1 December 1959, and other episodes were soon made.

However, on 22 December 1959 (less than three weeks after the production had started), East German television (Deutscher Fernsehfunk, DFF) began broadcasting Unser Sandmännchen with its own "good night, children" character, also called Sandmännchen.