November 26, 2025

Cheburashka's Nationality Debated


Cheburashka's Nationality Debated
Popular Soviet cartoon character Cheburashka. The Russian Life files

What can a crate of oranges tell you about a beloved non-human, Soviet fictional character’s nationality? As it turns out, citrus may be the necessary clue to settling the debate at the highest levels: the Russian State Duma recently discussed the nationality of Cheburashka, a beloved non-human fictional character from a popular Soviet stop-motion cartoon.

During a Budget and Tax Committee meeting, Andrei Makarov, a member of the Duma, joked that Cheburashka is Jewish. His evidence: the crate of oranges in which the character was discovered. According to Makarov, Israel was the only country importing oranges to the USSR during the time of the cartoon's airing. This crate of oranges became key evidence in solving the mystery of Cheburashka’s nationality. 

Despite other members of the Duma suggesting that Cheburashka could be from Morocco or Spain, as these countries also exported citrus, Makarov remained firm that Cheburashka must be Jewish. 

The debate arose around funding for the Native Toy Competition, which seeks to create Russian alternatives to foreign toy brands. One offscreen member of the Duma is heard saying, “No Labubu, only our matryoshka dolls.” Makarov then suggests Cheburashka as a step forward from the simple wooden matryoshka doll (and perhaps a bit closer to Labubu).

Cheburashka first appeared in the Soviet writer Eduard Uspensky’s 1966 children’s book Gena the Crocodile and his Friends. The character’s popularity increased with the 1969 release of "Gena the Crocodile," a short stop-motion animated film. 

Cheburashka has a confusing mix of animal features: large, round ears and a small furry body. A fruit and vegetable seller uncovers Cheburashka in a crate of oranges, but cannot leave him at the zoo, because he is rejected as a “beast unknown to science.”

Theories pointing to Cheburashka’s Jewishness circulated prior to Makarov’s statement. Many of the staff at the Russian and previously Soviet animation studio Soyuzmultfilm were Jewish, and it is possible that Cheburashka represented aspects of their identity.

Still, Cheburashka continues to resonate with viewers worldwide. The most recent addition to the franchise was a live-action film released in 2023. 

With Soyuzmultfilm’s registration of the Chebubu trademark, it might not be long until the Labubus are packed up in shipping crates and Cheburashkas hit the shelves.

You Might Also Like

From Toys to Training
  • October 16, 2025

From Toys to Training

Russia expands cadet kindergartens, where preschoolers train like soldiers.
A Pro-War Childhood?
  • October 31, 2024

A Pro-War Childhood?

Russian children are being instilled with militant patriotism through plays, stories, cartoons, and toys.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

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.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

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.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

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