Unframed Poster of Vintage 1968 Soviet Cheburashka & Crocodile Gena Theatrical Poster

A museum-quality reproduction of a rare and charming 1968 Soviet theatrical poster — the original playbill for the Leningrad Puppet-Marionette Theatre’s production of Cheburashka (Чебурашка), a children’s fairy tale by Eduard Uspensky and R. Kachanov, directed by Honored Artist of the RSFSR V. Lopukhin. Printed on museum-quality matte paper, ready to frame to your own specification.

This poster captures a precise and consequential moment in Soviet cultural history. When puppet sculptor Margarita Skripova-Yasinskaya crafted the stage puppet for this 1968 production, she made the bold artistic decision to give Cheburashka his now-iconic oversized, round ears — a radical departure from Uspensky’s original 1966 text description. The following year, production designer Leonid Shvartsman adapted the same visual identity for the legendary 1969 Soyuzmultfilm animated film, permanently cementing Cheburashka’s look in global pop culture. The print exhibits classic late-1960s Soviet graphic design: bold block typography with a vibrant, playful palette — Crocodile Gena in his iconic green scales and checkered vest, a stylized girl puppet with a pink bow, and the soft orange-textured prototype Cheburashka holding a balloon string against a whimsical cityscape silhouette.

Publication Details
Story: Cheburashka — fairy tale by E. Uspensky & R. Kachanov
Director: V. Lopukhin, Honored Artist of the RSFSR
Puppet Sculptor: Margarita Skripova-Yasinskaya
Year: 1968
Theatre: Leningrad Puppet-Marionette Theatre, Leningrad (St. Petersburg), USSR
Original medium: Offset lithograph on paper
Style: Soviet Late-1960s / Theatrical Graphic Design

Museum-quality posters made on thick matte paper. Add a wonderful accent to your room and office with these posters that are sure to brighten any environment.

• Original poster size: 58 × 87 cm (23″ × 34″)
• Print size: 24 × 36 in (61 × 91 cm) — the closest standard size to the original
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil (0.26 mm)
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%
• Paper is sourced from Japan

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!