Gena the Crocodile – composer Yan Frenkel
According to Uspensky, Crocodile Gena drew character traits and stylistic touches from the composer Yan Frenkel. During celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of a major Children’s Literature publishing house in 1983, the author shared this on stage: “Dear friends, I will reveal a secret behind Crocodile Gena. He sits here before you. Yan Abramovich, please stand.” Frenkel rose and acknowledged the audience.
In a later interview published in City of Masters, Uspensky revisited the idea that Frenkel and Gena shared more likenesses than once admitted. He recalled working with Frenkel and noted how the composer helped the crocodile acquire distinct human traits, even down to his gait. Frenkel, known for his shy and empathetic nature, shared a flat with others while composing, and was generous enough to help friends secure a lucky, if unordered, apartment—an echo of the loyal, grounded persona Frolics often associate with Gena.
Cheburashka – a defective toy
Uspensky explained that Cheburashka originated from an imperfect toy that looked like a hybrid of a rabbit and a teddy bear. In a 2006 interview with KP, he recounted the origin of the character’s memorable name. “I arrived at a friend’s place years ago,” Uspensky said. “A three-year-old daughter appeared in a fur coat, tried on something new, and fell. The father exclaimed, ‘Cheburahna!’ The word lodged in my memory, and when the furry hero emerged, the name Cheburashka followed.”
Leonid Shvartsman, the artist who designed Cheburashka, gave the creature large ears and round eyes. He noted that forming the image of Cheburashka dominated the production timeline, taking almost half of the overall preparation time for the project. Rumors linked the face to a cartoonist Rosalia Zelma, though such connections remain part of folklore rather than fact.
Shapoklyak – the first wife of writer Rimma Uspenskaya
In interviews with Vozdukh, Uspensky described Shapoklyak as inspired by his first wife Rimma, with whom he studied at the Moscow Aviation Institute. Earlier rumors had suggested the character mirrored his mother. He clarified that the character resembled a wife more than a mother, noting a broader literary theme: men often project parental patterns onto partners. He reflected on his 18-year marriage, describing the wife as strict and sometimes disagreeable, while acknowledging components of Shapoklyak in his own temperament.
In Izvestia in 2007, he elaborated that the woman character carried particular traits: a sometimes abrasive, even harmful quality. He also acknowledged that Shapoklyak bore distinctive features shared with the author’s own life. The character’s name referenced a compact, collapsible top hat worn in a certain era—an image that influenced both design and symbolism. Shvartsman, who drew the character for the cartoons, cited his mother-in-law as a visual touchstone, describing her as a woman of the period who influenced the hat and facial cues of the old woman.
Cat Matroskin – Anatoly Taraskin, editor of the Wick film magazine
Taraskin, an old friend of Uspensky, served as the prototype for Cat Matroskin. Much like the wisdom-filled cat in the fairy tale Uncle Fyodor, the real-life editor was known for cleanliness and prudence. Although there was initial hesitation to name the cat after a friend, a careful decision ultimately kept the character distinct from any real person.
The story’s first animation surfaced in 1975, but it did not immediately captivate audiences. The enduring fame of Matroskin and the Prostokvashino crew arose from Vladimir Popov’s trilogy: Three from Prostokvashino (1978), Holidays in Prostokvashino (1980), and Winter in Prostokvashino (1984), which solidified these characters in popular culture.
Uncle Fyodor’s mother – actress Larisa Myasnikova
The timeline for Uncle Fyodor’s mother remains unspecified, but Levon Khachatryan’s well-known portrayal in the Prostokvashina cartoons drew heavily from his wife Larisa Myasnikova. Khachatryan recalled that the artist Popov made adjustments to his own sketches, ultimately preferring square glasses to round ones for the character. Myasnikova herself expressed dissatisfaction with how the mother figure was depicted on screen, joking that she would never actually wear those glasses.