Cheburashka is a famous character of a Soviet carton “Cheburashka and Gena the Crocodile”.  Eduard Uspensky, Russian writer, made up Cheburashka in 1966. Later, thanks to the cartoon based on the book, this character became extremely famous in Russia and around the world.

If you ever celebrated your birthday with your Russian friends, you most probably know the song by Gena the Crocodile “Пусть бегут неуклюже…” (Poost’ bee-GOOT nee-ook-LYOO-zhe). Most Russian people have known this song since their early childhood, as when they were kids they used to listen and sing this song on their birthdays.

Another song from this cartoon which is also extremely popular and well-known is “Голубой Вагон” (“Blue Carriage”).

Who is Gena the Crocodile?

Krokodil Gena [kra-ka-DEEL GYE-na] (Gena the Crocodile) is a friend of Cheburashka and a character from the book “Gena the Crocodile and His Friends” by Eduard Uspensky “which was published in 1966. Three years later, in 1969, the Soyzmultfilm studio created a cartoon “Gena the Crocodile” based on this book.

Since then, Gena the Crocodile and his little friend Cheburashka captured hearts of all children, young people and adults. This story still remains one of the most popular children’s stories.

What animal does Cheburashka remind of?

The author mentions that Cheburashka [chee-boo-RASH-ka] was a toy made at a factory. However, it was of a very low quality, so it was really impossible to say whether it was a rabbit, a dog, a monkey, or a kangaroo. Despite its unknown personality, everybody finds it cute and charming, and its new friends really love it.

The tale about Gena the Crocodile and Cheburashka

So, let’s cut a long story short: when Gena the Crocodile and Cheburashka met, they put advertisements that they were looking for new friends.  But the Old Lady Shapoklyak [sta-ROO-ha sha-pak-LYAK] (old lady Shapoklyak) who always carries a small pet rat Lariska [KRIS-ka la-REES-ka] (rat Lariska) in her purse, always tries to stand on their way and mistreats them.

It might be interesting to know that in a small Russian city of Ramenskoye there is a monument for Gena the Crocodile, Cheburashka, Old Lady Shapoklyak, and rat Lariska. They look the same as the cartoon characters. In Russian and Ukraine there are other monuments for our favorite characters.

Despite the fact that both the book and the cartoon belong to the Soviet time, they still attract the attention of modern children and are popular with them. Therefore, we strongly recommend you to read this book or to watch the cartoon so you can enjoy its atmosphere!