MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin made a cameo in a popular Russian children’s cartoon, delivering a New Year’s message to the nation alongside a talking cat and dog.
The residents of Prostokvashino, the fictional town after which the show is named, are stunned when the animated version of the Kremlin leader, flanked by Sharik the dog and Matroskin the cat, greets Russians at the turn of the year.
Adults accompanying their children at the Prostokvashino theme park in Moscow gave cautiously positive ratings.
“Listen, I don’t know. I think anything can happen in a cartoon. Why not?” said a woman, Marina.
Another visitor, Oksana Frolkova, said children know who Putin is and seeing him in a cartoon is “probably important and interesting for them.” He said it could also generate interest from viewers outside the country.
Putin’s cameo was followed last year by Yuliana Slashcheva, chairwoman of the board of directors of the Soyuzmultfilm studio, who said Russia sells its cartoons to former communist and Middle Eastern countries and seeks to increase its presence in China.
The president’s appearance in Prostokvashino would be a form of “soft power” that would help promote Russia and its culture, he said.
