Biography
Cheburashka (Russian: Чебурашка) is a character of children's literature from a 1965 story by the Russian writer Eduard Uspensky. He is also the hero (voiced by Klara Rumyanova) of the animated film series by Soyuzmultfilm studio, the first episode of which was made in 1969.
Story
According to the story, Cheburashka is a funny little animal, unknown to science, who lived in the tropical forest. He accidentally got into a crate of oranges, ate his fill and fell asleep. Cheburashka is not a personal name; it is a species name invented by the puzzled director of the shop, where he was found. The salesmen took the animal out and sat him on the table, but his paws were numb after the long time spent in the crate and he tumbled down ("cheburakhnulsya" (чебурахнулся), a Russian colloquialism, "tumbled" in English) from the table onto the chair and from the chair, where he could not sit for the same reason, onto the floor. The director of the shop, who saw it, called him Cheburashka. The words with this root were obsolete in Russian; Uspensky gave them a new life. (The classic Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language of Vladimir Dahl gives the meaning of "cheburashka" as another name for "Vanka-Vstanka" tumbler toy.)
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