A multi-part cartoon about a funny toy Cheburashka and his friend Crocodile Gene appeared in the late sixties and immediately won an army of fans in the person of little movie buffs. Friendship, mutual assistance, mutual assistance - this is what this cartoon teaches. Crocodile Gena, a zoo worker, suffered for a long time from longing and loneliness. But then he met Cheburashka.
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The cartoon is based on the book by Eduard Uspensky "Crocodile Gene and His Friends." In the book, Uspensky in simple language describes vivid pictures from the lives of his heroes. Gene in the book (and in the cartoon) wears a hat, picks up a cane. And in the zoo he works as a crocodile. Cheburashka lived in the rainforest until he went to the people. He did not even know his name. This name was given to him by the director of the store, in which Cheburashka got in a box with oranges. Then he lived in a discount store until one day he met the announcement that βa young crocodile of fifty years old wants to envy his friends,β written by Gene Crocodile. All cartoon series are full of action. Each of them teaches the child something good. And what can we say about masterfully created songs. Each of them is still sung at children's parties or at singing lessons. These include Let them run awkwardly, Now I'm Cheburashka, Blue Car.
The heroic antagonists are the evil
old woman Shapoklyak and her faithful servant rat Larisa. Motto Shapoklyak: "You cannot be famous for good deeds!" That is why she is trying in every possible way to harm people, arranges dirty tricks. And the girl Galya, the dog Tobik, Cheburashka and Crocodile Gene are trying to confront her. They are looking for friends and helping people. By the way, Ouspensky in an interview said that, creating the image of Shapoklyak, he relied on the appearance of his first wife. But the animator Schwartzman sketched the old woman from his mother-in-law. In each of the series, Shapoklyak, encountering friends, begins to improve. But then she again and again mischief people. And this is not surprising, because if she had become kind, the cartoon would have ended.
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Thanks to the artist Schwartzman, we also have in our head the image of the mysterious creature Cheburashka. This is not a teddy bear or a puppy, this is a fluffy animal with big ears and a short tail. This is how Ouspensky describes him. In the cartoon, this look is embodied perfectly. Cheburashka, without a doubt, evokes the sympathy of small spectators. The same can be said about the representative Crocodile in a suit, hat and accordion. The main characters were brilliantly voiced by Vasily Livanov and Klara Rumyanova.
It should be noted that the first cartoons were adopted in the Soviet Union without much enthusiasm. Cheburashka, who does not have a homeland, and Crocodile Gena, who is looking for friends by declaration, did not inspire confidence from the party authorities. Be that as it may, but after a few years, the cartoon became one of the most popular. Proof of success can be considered that Cheburashka is known in Sweden, and Lithuania, and in other European countries.
Since 2006, he has become a symbol of the Russian Olympic team. Three times he was dressed in furs of different colors, symbolizing the Russian flag-tricolor. And when the turn of Crocodile Genes comes to be a symbol of the country?