A battle over the cute fuzzy heritage of the Soviet Union

Posted By Michael H. Cognato Monday, April 16, 2007 - 10:45 AM Share

Mention the Soviet Union in the West, and the images that come to mind are of Sputnik, Khrushchev banging his shoe on the podium at the U.N., or maybe boxer Ivan Drago killing Apollo Creed in the ring in Rocky IV. But the Soviet Union had children too, and just as children do everywhere they liked cartoons and stuffed animals. And, since Mickey Mouse was obviously a tool of capitalist imperialism, Soviet authorities had to provide their own version. So was born, in 1969, Cheburashka, a furry mouse-like thing whose stop-motion animation adventures warmed the hearts of children comrades from Sevastopol to Vladivostok. Unlike the forces of dialectic materialism and the eventual victory of the proletariat, Cheburashka "was not known to science," having been discovered in a crate of oranges from a tropical rain forest.

Like most of the national patrimony, it seems that Cheburashka, too, was privatized too quickly in the rush to the market that followed communism's collapse. International rights to the character were snapped up by the American firm Film by Jove. Now, though, the fuzzy guy might be coming home: Russian billionaire Alishar Usmanov is working to buy back the rights. Radio Free Europe reports that the chemicals mogul is combining nostalgia for his childhood with smart politics in a growingly nationalistic Russia:

Usmanov says he is a fan of Soviet cartoons and wants to give the collection of more than 500 classic cartoons to a children’s television channel that has been proposed by President Vladimir Putin. He said the films were “our heritage and must be returned to Russia.”

EXPLORE:EUROPE, CULTURE

Passport, FP’s flagship blog, brings you news and hidden angles on the biggest stories of the day, as well as insights and under-the-radar gems from around the world.