July 19, 2021

An Olympic Reintroduction


An Olympic Reintroduction
The first-ever team mascots for the almost-Russian team.  Photo via the official Twitter of the Russian Olympic Committee

The two brave faces of the nation's Olympic presence (not to be confused with the Olympic team of the Russian Federation, which was officially banned from participating in Olympic events this year due to doping scandals) will be a cheerful teddy bear named Mishka-Nevalyashka and a stern-looking kitty named Hat-Cat.

While the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC for short) is not allowed to bear the Russian flag or play their national anthem at any point during the Olympic games, they did find a way to sneak iconic cultural symbols into both of their team mascots. The bear is fashioned to resemble a beloved Russian children's toy, fittingly called a "nevalyashka" (which very loosely translates to "un-knock-over-able-thing"). The toy is shaped kind of like a Russian matryoshka doll but has a weight at the bottom so that when it is hit it simply rolls around but never falls down. This is an inspirational attribute for any Olympic athlete for sure! 

Hat-Cat, as its name suggests, is fashioned to look like a classic Russian ushanka, complete with ear-flaps for legs and everything. Furthermore, the kitty's perpetually grumpy demeanor is meant to resemble Russia's very own endangered (and very cute) species of Manul cat, which can be found in Siberia.  

The graphic design company Art.Lebedev actually created this dynamic duo back in 2019, but obviously had to put their grand debut on hold due to some more pressing matters (global pandemics tend to do that). The Russian Olympic Committee took the opportunity to reintroduce us to these cuties this past week on their Twitter account, pleasantly surprising a lot of people with their existence.

It sounds like team not-Russia is in good paws!

You Might Also Like

Olympic Dreams
  • November 01, 2000

Olympic Dreams

The Sydney Olympics held both happy surprises and amazing upsets for Russia's athletes. Here are some of the best stories.
Not-Russia Does Great Figure Skating
  • April 25, 2021

Not-Russia Does Great Figure Skating

The non-doping "Russia" won three out of four events at the recent world figure skating championships and swept the ladies' podium.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955