Tuesday, February 23, 2010

sochi 2014


We have attempted to visit many of the pavilions dotted around the city during the winter Olympic games... there are so many ridiculously long lines though, it's beginning to feel a lot like Disneyland in the summer on a public holiday. One of the pavilions we were patient enough to get into was the Russian Sochi House - basically a showcase of the next city to host the 2014 winter games. Instead of showing you pics of the mass droves of people, or the corporate sponsor displays (which I might add, are very mediocre too look at), or the Russian singer that was wearing a silver lounge suit (I missed my opportunity to take that photo... too much glare from the suit, sorry) I thought I would show you a peek at their mascot.

To my surprise, they have adopted Cheburashka as their mascot! Ok, so you might be asking... who on earth is Cheburashka? Well, he is a cute little creature with big ears... the original stop motion animation was from 1971 (directed by Roman Kachanov)... um, and I know this because I have the cute little animated series on DVD... uh, as well as the doll... um, along with a few other collectibles too.

Disappointingly, they have made him blue, red and white for the Olympic games (the original is chocolate brown)... and the dolls they had in the gift shop were not very cute, since they had plastic faces. The one I have is much cuter (see pic below). But I can't complain too much... I am still super excited to see him as the mascot.

23 comments:

Christie Cottage said...

Yours is much cuter!


Every time I watch any of the Olympics, I think of you and your virtual tour you are sharing with us.

Have a great day!

M.M.E. said...

He's adorable. I never would have guessed Russia would choose such a cute and cuddly animal.

happileah said...

Aw, I bet you're proud to see him in his Olympic gear ;)

Tara said...

he's still super cute! i didn't expect an explanation of who/what his monchi-chi-likeness was. he's just so sweet, plastic face and all.

jdavissquared said...

yours is cuter! how fun that you actually recognized him.

customdesigns4ubynan said...

he is a cute little guy. These kinds of things evolve - the new ones are cute, too. It's the expression that counts. You could think of them as cousins of the original. And thank you for your numerous blogs during the Olympics, really appreciate the extra feeling you give the experience.

readingsully2 said...

I like yours better too. :)

Annette said...

What a cutie! Not a bad choice for a mascot!

Alessandra@ Tribal Times said...

a mix between a bear and a monkey- cute!
-Alessandra

Karen said...

These are so cute! I hope you are enjoying the Olympics. I bet it is crazy busy crowded though. Thanks for sharing this!
www.karismaheartsavannah.blogspot.com

Melissa Lisbon said...

The orange face puts me off a bit - yours is so much better!

I'm sure there is a ton of interesting things to see during the Olympics.

Miriam at Made Right Guide said...

Aw, look at his cute little face!

Tessa said...

Oh the cuteness!! I have never heard of him, so thanks for opening my eyes to something adorable. :)

Chrisy said...

Well it sounds like you zoomed in on the most interesting aspect here honey...he lends himself well to the mascot concept doesn't he...but agree not as cute as the original...

Babamoon said...

awwwww how cute! what a choice of mascot ay?

Memories for Life said...

I like that they chose a cute mascot :)
Though the brown is much better!

Anonymous said...

Ah ha ha! Too funny. I agree though, the original brown is much cuter :)

our little love nest said...

I love the photo of yours'. He particularly adorable peeking up from a tomato plant. So much cuter in his brown and fuzzy glory than the bright coloured, plastic faced ones! Wishing you lots of happiness today! xo

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

Awwwwww, what a cutie cute little mascot!

Coco Cake Land said...

yay Cheburashka!!! i love his vintage look much better though. :)

tough to compete with MukMuk and crew though...

Anonymous said...

Soooo sweeet!

Anonymous said...

I have a little guy with big ears too. He's been with me for a long time and has always found a nice and cozy spot in my house to live. Right now he's on the dinnertable, but he has also lived in the attic and on top of a bookshelf.

I found him in a thrift shop a long time ago and fell head over heels in love with him. I never knew his name, though I wondered who he could be. And now, thanks to you, I know he's Cheburashka and that he lived in a russian supermarket.

I took a picture of him (in a Dutch supermarket) and put it on my blog:
http://www.ozowiezo.nl/blog/?p=2047&langswitch_lang=en

Thanks very much for telling me about him!

luluvillage said...

You must have some russian background, no?- I find it takes some russian blood or influence (or Easter European) to have this sort of strong attachment to Cheburashka from the get go;
everyone else seems to require a moment to,mmm, get used to the ears and all.
I think hence the russian idea to try a diff. color.
I agree, though, the original- yours!- is so much nicer and cuddlier!