Dr. Livesey (Treasure Island)
There are several Treasure Island-inspired memes, but the two most popular ones both involve Dr. Livesey – the most positive man in the world who bursts into laughter when examining his patients and says that "rum equals death" with a joyful grin on his face. One is inspired by his hip walk across the screen, which went viral in Russia and beyond, and the other is much more like the Mr. Incredible meme, but Russian-style.
The walk is perfect for any badass actions (and gym jokes), whereas the "Dr. Incredible Livesey" – for cheerful-things-turned-dark situations.
Vovka (Vovka in the Faraway Kingdom)
Vovka from Vovka in the Faraway Kingdom (1965) broke into the world of Russian memes thanks to his famous quote “И так сойдет!” (I tak soydet – “So be it!”). The story is that Vovka, who is much of a lazybone, finds himself in a faraway kingdom where he must learn not to be selfish, namely, to build a trough for an old lady. To do that, he has to go through several challenges, one of which is to make pirozhki (stuffed buns) in a traditional clay oven. Vovka did the job in an “И так сойдет!” way, demonstrating his “one-of-a-kind” domestic skills — and, oddly enough, shedding some light on a unique trait of the Russian psyche.
Use it if you (or someone else) did a mediocre job, hoping that it somehow works out on its own.
Robot (Well, Just You Wait!)
This hare-shaped robot made a comeback through the memory of true veterans who watched the many episodes of Well, Just You Wait! In this particular one, the robot version of the Hare chased the Wolf, but one hit turned it into a peculiar-looking “killer” robot that used to scare kids half to death. Though typically accompanied by the caption “childhood fear,” the robot became somewhat of a Russian Terminator. After all, it has even been reimagined as the final boss of Atomic Heart.
Use it when you’re out of Terminator jokes – or want to show something terrifying.
Kitty (How to Grow Up Faster)
This flipbook-style cartoon tells the story of a little kitten who couldn’t wait to become an adult cat, but that’s not what brought it fame – what did was it exploding with anger when it fails to put together a wooden cube puzzle. The kitten begins smashing the cubes around, saying “Ну и пожалуйста. Ну и не нужно. Подумаешь…” (“Fine. I don’t need this anyway. Not a big deal…”). The video blew up across the web even more once it got an R-rated voiceover.
Use it if you feel just like this lil’ guy, powerless and angry, when things don’t go your way.
Uncle Fedya (Three from Prostokvashino)
The story of kid Fyodor, Fedya for short, who leaves his home to live in the country with his adopted cat Matroskin and the dog Sharik is well-beloved and oft-quoted in Russia. Apart from the indispensable wisdom of how to eat a sandwich right (spoiler: upside down), the cartoon took the internet by storm with one particular scene – in which Fedya digs for buried treasure in the night. The only catch being that the meme shifted it from an innocent situation into a rather life-threatening message.
This is the meme for when you want to scare someone jokingly (!) for what they’ve done or said, like if they don’t like your favorite show.
If these Russian cartoon memes got you hyped and eager to learn more, we’ve got a good share of stories for you, such as the weirdos of Russian literature, snowy and holiday Soviet cartoons, and the pieces of wisdom from Soviet animation.
