10 popular SONGS from Soviet cartoons

1. ‘The Little Mammoth’s Song’ from the cartoon ‘Mom for a Mammoth Baby’ (1981)

• Music by Vladimir Shainsky
• Written by Dmitry Nepomnyashchiy
• Performed by Klara Rumyanova

“Let mommy hear, let mommy come,” a poor little mammoth sings, who survived by chance, thawing out of ice. He embarks on a voyage on an ice floe to find his mother. This song has been a tearjerker for several generations now. It’s performed by Klara Rumyanova, who also voiced characters in more than three hundred Soviet cartoons.

2. ‘She-bear’s Lullaby’ from the cartoon ‘Umka’ (1969)

• Music by Yevgeny Krylatov
• Written by Yuri Yakovlev
• Performed by Aida Vedishcheva

This is, perhaps, the main Soviet and Russian lullaby, performed by Aida Vedishcheva, which modern mothers also gladly sing to their children. “Your neighbors are sleeping, the white bears, sleep as well, fall asleep, my child…” – every child has heard this at least once before bed.

3. ‘The Friends’ Song’ (‘There’s Nothing Better in the World’) from the cartoon ‘The Bremen Town Musicians’ (1969)

• Music by Gennady Gladkov
• Written by Yuri Entin
• Performed by Oleg Anofriev, Anatoly Gorokhov, and a vocal ensemble

This cartoon was beloved by the audience not least for the music by Gennady Gladkov with rock’n’roll elements and the characters reminiscent of hippies. Vinyls with the cartoon’s soundtrack were sold in the millions. The song about friends, affirming that “there’s nothing better in the world than to wander the world with friends”, is performed by the Troubadour (Oleg Anofriev) and the choir of the Bremen town musicians. Even adults are up to singing it in karaoke.

4. ‘Blue Train Car’ from the cartoon ‘Shapoklyak’ (1974) 

• Music by Vladimir Shainsky
• Written by Eduard Uspensky
• Performed by Vladimir Ferapontov

This hit from the cartoon series about the adventures of Cheburashka and Gena the Crocodile is about the fleeting nature of life and hope for the best ahead. The music for the cartoon was written by famous composer of children’s music Vladimir Shainsky, with lyrics by Eduard Uspensky, the author of the book. Vladimir Ferapontov sang the song, even though Gena the Crocodile was voiced by Vasily Livanov. 

5. ‘Gena the Crocodile’s Song’ (‘Let the Pedestrians Run Clumsily Across Puddles...’) from the cartoon ‘Cheburashka’ (1971)

• Music by Vladimir Shainsky
• Written by Alexander Timofeevsky
• Performed by Vladimir Ferapontov

The song about birthdays, which Gena the Crocodile sings, is also very popular. He’s sorry that birthdays happen only once a year; however, despite the rain and bad weather, he’s in a great mood. In this song, he fantasizes about a wizard, who would show him a movie for free and give him five hundred ice cream bars – the dream of every Soviet child!

6. ‘Tell Me, Snegurochka, Where Have You Been?’ from the cartoon ‘Well, Just You Wait!’ (1974)

• Music by Gennady Gladkov
• Written by Yuri Entin
• Performed by Klara Rumyanova and Anatoly Papanov

This is a jolly New Year’s song, sung by the Hare (Klara Rumyanova) and the Wolf (Anatoly Papanov). The situation is even more comical, since the Hare is dressed as Grandfather Frost (Russian Santa Claus) and the Wolf is dressed as Snegurochka (his granddaughter, Snow Maiden). The song plays with the name of the cartoon – answering the offer of the Grandfather Frost–Hare to go dancing, the Wolf sings: “No, Grandfather Frost, just you wait!” 

7. ‘Clouds Like White-Maned Horses’ from the cartoon ‘Tryam! Hello!’ (1980)

• Music by Vladimir Shainsky
• Written by Sergey Kozlov
• Performed by Klara Rumyanova

Many don’t even remember this cartoon about a Bear, a Hedgehog and a Hare, but this song, performed by Klara Rumyanova, became very famous and popular. The three friends ask the clouds where they rush to and ask to carry them across the sky.

8. ‘The Song About a Dream’ from the cartoon ‘The Flying Ship’ (1979)

• Music by Maxim Dunaevsky
• Written by Yuri Entin
• Performed by Tatyana Shabelnikova, Garri Bardin, Rogvold Sukhoverko, and Mikhail Boyarsky

This song in a cartoon stylized as a Russian fairy tale is performed by four heroes – Princess Zabava, her father – the tsar, Polkan, who dreams of marrying the princess for connections and power, as well as a regular chimney sweep. Each of them sings about their own dream and each of them imagines happiness differently, but everyone sings: “Ah, if only my dream came true! What a life would it have been then!” Music was composed by Maxim Dunaevsky, while the lyrics were written by Yuri Entin.

9. ‘A True Friend!’ (‘Strong Friendship Won’t Break…’) from the cartoon ‘Timka & Dimka’ (1975)

• Music by Boris Savelyev
• Written by Mikhail Plyatskovsky
• Performed by Klara Rumyanova

Few still remember the story of the little bear Dimka and Timka the kitten; this puppet cartoon was meant for very small children. However, everyone knows the song about what a true friend should be like. “A friend won’t leave you in trouble, won’t ask too much!”

10. ‘Smile’ from the cartoon ‘Little Raccoon’ (1974)

• Music by Vladimir Shainsky
• Written by Mikhail Plyatskovsky
• Performed by Klara Rumyanova

This is yet another song, the popularity of which reached far beyond the cartoon it’s from. Every little child in Russia knows that “a gloomy day is brighter with a smile” and that you should share a smile and then it will “come back to you more than once”.