A little hedgehog with a bundle walks through the fog and gloomy forest to his friend Little Bear to count the stars and drink tea with raspberry jam. An owl follows him, disappearing or appearing from the darkness and he meets a melancholic white horse and a cheerful hunting dog along the way.
Yuri Norstein's cartoon became the source of a huge number of jokes and memes. About a hedgehog calling for a horse in the fog and not noticing that the darkness is hiding an alien. Or standing with a candle in his paw in front of the ‘Silent Hill’ sign. And also philosophical memes, such as: "Our whole life is a fog and you are a hedgehog in it!"
"A handsome, intelligent and moderately well-fed man in the prime of life!" This is how the hero of the ‘The Kid and Carlson’ cartoon describes himself - a little man with a propeller on his back, living somewhere on the rooftops of Copenhagen. The charming hooligan and tamer of housekeepers gave the audience a whole scattering of folk wisdom. "I'm better than a dog," he says. He declares himself a ghost with a motor - "wild, but cute" and makes eyes at the strict Freken Bock, saying: "Well, come on, let's get acquainted!"
"You’re eating the sausage sandwich wrong, Uncle Fedor!” With this phrase, Matroskin cat first appears in the cartoon ‘Three from Prostokvashino’ and from that moment on, little viewers would ask their moms to make them the “right” sandwich, bread on top of sausage. The economical kitty can do almost everything ("I can also embroider on a sewing machine," he purrs) and became a star thanks to his grumpy character. And also the ability to resist any bureaucracy - "whiskers, paws and tail - these are my documents!" And the ability to compose a romance out of nothing: "And I'm noticing more and more often that it's as if someone has replaced me. I don't dream about nature, TV has replaced nature for me." As Uncle Fyodor's dad says, "If I had such a cat, I might never have got married!"
The image of "a beast unknown to science - half bear, half monkey, half orange" was invented by artist Leonid Shvartsman. Cheburashka with his wide-open, surprised eyes instantly fell into the hearts of millions of viewers. "We built, built and finally built," is just one of dozens of popular quotes.
And, of course, memes play up the funny animal's big ears. In one of them, Crocodile Gena (Cheburashka’s sidekick) asks if he can hear him. And the Cheburashka replies: "Gena, look at me. Of course I can hear you."
The main character of the cartoon of the same name is friends with a pig named Piglet, is not averse to a good meal and is ready to pretend to be a cloud to get to honey in a bee hive. "He who visits in the morning is wise!" he drums to the beat of his footsteps. The infantile, simple-minded bear is a walking holiday, who votes with both paws in favor of any idea, except a hunger strike.
That's why all the catchphrases from the cartoon are related to food: "It's buzzing for a reason," he says when he hears the hum of a bee hive. And when he is a guest, he always hopefully asks his hosts for more: "Is there anything else?" And he sings, stamping with a loping step: "And it doesn't matter what he does, if he doesn't get thin. And he won't get thin, if, of course... if he eats in time!"
The main character of the animated series ‘Well, Just You Wait!’, a mean and antisocial Wolf is hunting for a nice, well-mannered Hare - unsuccessfully, of course. And, at the same time, he gets into trouble every time, shouting: "Well, Hare, Just You Wait!" The wolf from changes his outfits in every episode, turning into a stylist, then into an underdog in underpants, racing a car, diving down to the seabed or just sitting on a bench in the park.
It turned out that these were ideal images to imagine him as a hero of some Hollywood blockbuster. For example, ‘Interstellar’ or ‘Fast and Furious’.
"Guys, let's live together," exhorts Leopold the Cat in a yellow turtleneck and purple bow around his neck to two rampaging mice. "Never!" the rodents shout back and call him a sneaky coward. The phrase of an intelligent cat has become an excellent substitute for requests to stop scandalizing, pawing and ending arguments. You can see at once who the adult is and who a harmful mouse is.
A young ‘domovoy’, aka household spirit, ("seven centuries old, the eighth has gone"), suddenly becomes homeless and moves into the nearest new building. There, the charming, eccentric and very economic Kuzya gives out pearl after pearl. "Nafanya, the chest has been stolen, the chest with fairy tales!" he howls in horror. This phrase, as it turns out, can be used in a situation when something is lost - and you will undoubtedly be understood!
The indescribable hoarse voice of the Wolf, who asks the Dog in amazement: "What, again?" can be recognized from a thousand. And his saying: "Come in, if you want!" is repeated at all times at friendly gatherings. And, of course, his key phrase: "I'll sing right now!" has firmly entered mass culture. In the cartoon, after it, a drunken and gluttonous Wolf, sitting under the table, begins to howl after the singing villagers. In real life, it is typically said after any big feast.
"Eh, my life is a tin can! Dump it in the swamp. I live like a toadstool and I want to fly!" The good-natured singing ‘Vodyanoy’ is a role model for all those who dream of a change of scenery: tense up, "wave your hands" and fly to hot countries.
Dear readers,
Our website and social media accounts are under threat of being restricted or banned, due to the current circumstances. So, to keep up with our latest content, simply do the following:
If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.
Subscribe
to our newsletter!
Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox
