Do you remember the words to your favorite songs about cartoon characters from childhood? If you’re Russian, you probably remember these two favorites: Crocodile Gena and Cheburashka. These unusual characters somehow still evoke a special sympathy and involuntary smile in us as adults.

Who Is Cheburashka?

Cheburashka’s creator, Eduard Uspensky, once put the answer to this question into the mouth of the character himself, known in earlier English translations as Topple:

I was once a strange, nameless toy,
К That no one would come near at the store,
But now I’m Cheburashka,
And every stray offers me their paw!

The story of Cheburashka himself is interesting, unlike that of any other make-believe character. According to Uspensky, there are two versions of Cheburashka’s origins. Once the author explained to his own children that Cheburashka was born a defective toy resembling both a bear and a rabbit, with brown fur and a little bearish tail. But the previously unknown animal also had inordinately large ears and beautiful kind eyes.

Cheburashka lived in a distant tropical forest where people gathered oranges. One day he accidentally fell into a box of fruit that was shipped to a store in Russia. When the box was opened, Cheburashka’s paws had fallen asleep so he tumbled right out, bounced up and fell down again. The manager who opened the box exclaimed, “He just can’t sit still!” and gave him the name Cheburashka, from the Russian word that means “to tumble.”

In another version of the story, Uspensky was visiting a friend whose little girl was trying on a coat that was too long on her. She tripped and fell once, got back up and fell again. Her father exclaimed to Uspensky, “She tumbled again!” Uspensky learned the meaning of the word and later used it in his stories.

Close your eyes and start singing the song of Cheburashka and Crocodile Gena, and you’ll immediately picture that kind and naïve creature, with his wide open eyes gazing out at the world with surprise.

Need A Gift For Your Child’s Birthday?

If you’re after a character that won’t make your child angry or aggressive, Cheburashka is the one you want. He’s just a kid himself with a pure, good heart. You’ll look at big old Cheburashka and smile.