Putin meets talking cat and dog in popular Russian cartoon

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin has made a cameo appearance in a popular Russian children's cartoon, delivering a New Year message to the nation alongside a talking cat and dog.

Residents of Prostokvashino, the fictional village that gives its name to the show, are stunned when the animated version of the Kremlin leader, flanked by Sharik the dog and Matroskin the cat, greets Russians at the turn of the year.

Adults accompanying their kids at a Prostokvashino theme park in Moscow were cautiously positive in their assessments.

"Listen, I don't know. I think anything can happen in a cartoon. Why not?" said one woman, Marina.

Another visitor, Oksana Frolkova, said children know who Putin is, and seeing him in a cartoon is "probably important and interesting to them". She said it could also generate interest from viewers outside the country.

Putin's cameo was trailed last year by Yuliana Slashcheva, chair of the board of Soyuzmultfilm studio, who said Russia sells its cartoons to former communist and Middle Eastern countries and is looking to grow its presence in China.

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The president's appearance in Prostokvashino would be a form of "soft power" that would help to promote Russia and its culture, she said.