The first part of a series of 10 short puppet cartoons "38 parrots" was released in 1976, more than one generation of children has grown up on it, and the Monkey, Parrot, Boa constrictor and Elephant calf are still one of the most popular cartoon characters. When their creator was asked about the secret of such popularity, he replied that all these heroes have the features of his acquaintances. And the most surprising thing was that one of these cute characters was a caricature of ... Lenin!

Once the children's writer Grigory Oster brought to the Soyuzmultfilm studio a script about the adventures of four funny characters - Monkey, Parrot, Boa and Elephant. He himself believed that in every child there is something from each of these heroes, and the author had every reason to say so - after all, he himself was a father with many children. However, at the studio, none of the directors wanted to take on this script.

Director Ivan Ufimtsev admits that the fate of the script was decided by only a couple of phrases, which at first glance were unremarkable: “ I read one phrase: "Where are you crawling?" - asked the Monkey. "Here. I'm crawling here, "Boa grumbled ..." It would seem that nothing special, but I liked her so much! Just stunned how! And made a movie". Later, many phrases from this cartoon became winged, for example: “ We will not say who, although it was the Baby Elephant».

The production designer Leonid Shvartsman worked on the creation of the cartoon characters. The baby elephant seemed to him to be an intelligent, intelligent and absolutely positive hero-excellent student, “the first student who diligently fulfills all tasks”. There were no problems with the mischievous and cheerful Monkey either, but I had to tinker with the Boa and the Parrot. The artist said: “ Actually, I don't like snakes - neither living nor painted. Therefore, he fought over Boa for a terribly long time and unsuccessfully. The boa constrictor turned out to be evil and unattractive. Almost every day I went to the zoo and, no matter how unpleasant it was to me, I drew, painted and painted from nature. I learned a lot about snakes. Even this special snake bite is when the lower lip goes over the upper lip. But the image took shape only when I forgot about reality. He pulled the boa's muzzle, made a nose, painted freckles and eyebrows with a house. And also - I bloomed it with flowers ... And then this character came out, a boa-thinker, a boa-philosopher, whom I consider to be my great success».

In all the characters of the cartoon, human traits were guessed, but if in the Elephant, the audience could easily guess an exemplary excellent student, then hardly any of them would come to mind to compare the Parrot with ... Lenin! Of course, in the 1970s. no one guessed about these parallels - otherwise the censorship would simply not have released the cartoon on the screens. But the similarities were not obvious, and neither the censorship nor the audience noticed it. And only in 2015, production designer Leonid Shvartsman admitted that he conceived this character as a parody of the leader of the world proletariat and deliberately endowed him with “Leninist habits”: he is just as energetic, he is also inclined to demagoguery, actively gesticulates and paces back -forward during a conversation, does not burst, but stutters on the letter "r", and its coloring creates the illusion that he is wearing a vest.

However, the scandal around Parrot did not erupt because of his resemblance to Lenin. The fact is that initially it had a long tail, which was very disturbing when the character moved. The cartoon was a puppet one, and this created additional difficulties for the animators. Therefore, they suggested removing the tail. Leonid Shvartsman recalled: “ Since all the alterations require money, a scandal erupted. And our director of the puppet association, long-gone Iosif Yakovlevich Boyarsky, was simply hysterical, but it had to be done. As a result, the Parrot turned out to be on legs and began to walk very energetically and gesticulate. At first, he reminded us of our director, Joseph Boyarsky. And then we saw in Parrot's gestures ... Lenin's energetic gestures. And our animators began to play with him as a leader, a leader, a tribune. Hence such a solid image».

All the cartoon characters were voiced by famous actors: Monkey - Nadezhda Rumyantseva, Elephant - Mikhail Kozakov, Udava - Vasily Livanov, Parrot - Vsevolod Larionov. True, in the series “The Great Closing”, Monkey spoke in the voice of Raisa Mukhametshina - Nadezhda Rumyantseva at the time of dubbing the cartoon was living abroad with her diplomat husband Willie Khshtoyan.

The cartoon "38 Parrots" was such a success with viewers that it grew into a series that was awarded many awards, among them the first prizes at international festivals in Croatia and Portugal. However, Leonid Shvartsman still called the very first cartoon from this cycle the most successful: “ For me, that film is the most interesting. The rest of the series trample behind him. Alas, this is the fate of the series. Everything that has been accumulated is poured into the first film».

Many interesting facts remained behind the scenes of the cartoon.

On Tuesday, the famous director of animated films Ivan Ufimtsev, the author of the famous cartoons "38 Parrots" and "Losharik", died in Moscow.

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In recent years, the creator of popular puppet characters has been seriously ill. After a stroke, he did not leave the house at all, Interfax reports. A few days ago Ufimtsev fell into a coma... The director of animated films died at the age of 83. The date and place of the funeral have not yet been specified.

Recall that Ivan Ufimtsev graduated from the Sverdlovsk film actor school, after which he tried his hand on the stage and on the set. In the early 50s of the twentieth century, he went to the capital and entered the directing department of the State Institute of Theater Arts named after Lunacharsky.

Since 1963, Ufimtsev worked at the Soyuzmultfilm studio, where he shot about 40 animated films, the business newspaper "Vzglyad" reports. His most popular work is the film 38 Parrots, as well as other series about the adventures of the Monkey, Elephant, Boa and Parrot. Other famous Ufimtsev's cartoons are "Beware, Pike!", "Cuckoo Clock", "Hedgehog plus Turtle", "Three Frog", "Losharik". For the animation film "Whose cones are in the forest?" the director received a Silver Medal at the International Film Festival in Romania.

From time to time, Ivan Ufimtsev also starred in films... He played a role in the films "Working Life", "Day Stars", "The Investigation is Lead by Experts. Supplement with a Cucumber", "In Love of His Own Will", "If You Believe Lopotukhin", "A Lady's Visit", "Tale of the Unquenched Moon", " A man for a young woman "and others. Viewers also appreciated the appearance of Ufimtsev in the image of Alexander Suvorov in an advertisement for one of the banks.

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38 parrots (It's me crawling) - a story by Grigory Oster

A famous story about how a parrot, monkey and baby elephant measured the growth of a boa constrictor. Another title of the work - This is me crawling.

38 parrots read

The boa constrictor bent over the grass and examined something. The monkey very carefully, on tiptoe, approached the boa constrictor and also looked. Something was crawling in the grass.

Crawling? the monkey asked in a whisper.
- Crawling, - the boa sighed. - Creeps. Creeps.
- And what is it creeping? the monkey asked.
- I'm crawling! - said the boa constrictor.
- You? - the monkey was surprised. - Where are you crawling?
- This way. I'm crawling here, ”the boa grumbled, pulling out its long, long body from the grass.

The monkey stepped back a little to look at the boa constrictor from the side. She was interested. She had known the boa constrictor for a long time, but she hadn't seen it all that often. Usually, when a boa constrictor was crawling somewhere or just resting, at best, most of it could be seen, and the rest lay somewhere in the grass or behind bushes.
- Oh, boa constrictor! - the monkey admired. - What are you! ..
- Which one? - the boa constricted. He dropped his tail to the ground and turned to the monkey. - Which one?
- Long! - said the monkey.
“I know that myself,” sighed the disappointed boa constrictor. - And how long?
- Very long.
- Very? - The boa constricted thought. - Hmm, very ... No. Very - that's not it!
- And something? the monkey asked.
But the boa constrictor did not answer. He was very busy. By yourself. The boa constrictor watched attentively as its large body now folds into rings, then unfolds so that fast waves run from head to tip of tail. It was immediately evident that the boa constrictor was very worried.
- Why are you so worried? the monkey asked.
- Wait, monkey, don't bother! - the boa constrictor responded. - I make a decision.
- Do you accept? - the monkey was delighted. - Do you take it correctly? - she was immediately alarmed. - You can take in different ways, - mumbled the monkey. - You can take a teaspoon every two hours, or you can take it twice a day before meals. How do you accept?
- I already accepted! - said the boa constrictor. - I made a decision, I decided ... to measure my height.
- Ahhh! - said the monkey. - And I thought ... - And then only the monkey realized what the boa constrictor said.
- Measure your height? - the monkey admired. - What a wonderful, what a wonderful solution! - And from admiration the monkey even sang:
I decided to recognize my height as a boa constrictor!
And in this he is, of course, right.
After all, this is very important!
Perhaps it is the longest!
Many times the longest!
- Yes! - the boa constrictor sighed. - It is still unknown!
- How are you going to measure him, your height? the monkey asked. - How?
- Honestly, - admitted the boa constrictor, - I do not know any way. All of these methods are unknown to me.
- So you don't know how to measure your height? - the monkey was upset. And out of chagrin, she even sang:
Here is the head, and here it is - the tail.
And the rest is growth!
There is a lot of growth in the boa constrictor.
But how to measure this growth -
The head and tail do not know.
Finding your height is not easy!
- Very difficult! - the boa constrictor sighed again.
- But no! the monkey suddenly shouted. - I know how to measure your height!
- How? the boa asked quickly.
- Very simple! - said the monkey. - We must fold in half! Fold up!
The boa constricted itself in half and placed its head next to its tail.
- So! - said the monkey, - Fold up again.
The boa constricted fourfold. The monkey walked around the boa constrictor and thought.
- Well? - asked the boa impatiently.
- Now! - said the monkey. - Here is the head, and here is the tail! All clear!
- What is clear? - asked the boa constrictor.
- All! - said the monkey. - All clear! Your height will be two of your halves or four halves of your halves.
- Two halves ... four ... halves ... - the boa constrictor tried to figure it out, but he couldn’t figure it out. “No,” he said finally. - It won't work!
- Why won't it work? - the monkey was surprised.
- Because you can't measure me in halves!
- Why not!
- Because I'm whole!
- Well, then I don't know how, - the monkey was offended.
She turned away from the boa constrictor and saw a baby elephant.
- What happened here? - asked the elephant. - What are you doing here?
- We are measuring! - explained the boa constrictor. - Only we don't know how!
“When you don’t know how,” the elephant said thoughtfully, “you need to ask someone.
The monkey looked very carefully at the baby elephant and suggested:
- Let's ask you.
- I have? - the elephant was embarrassed. - I better not. Let's better ask the parrot.
- Let's! - suddenly shouted a parrot, appearing out of nowhere in front of friends. - Let's ask me! Ask!
- How to measure me? - asked the boa constrictor.
- Well ... - said the parrot. - The growth of boas in most cases is usually measured ... uh ... from the tail. What do you have?
- It's his head! - explained the monkey.
- We don't need the head! - the parrot dismissed. - Give me a tail!
The boa constrictor stretched out its tail to the parrot.
- And now, - said the parrot to the boa constrictor, - leave the tail here, and crawl, crawl, until you stretch out in full length.
The boa constrictor crawled into the thickets, and his tail remained in front of the parrot. The parrot looked at this tail for a very long time.

The baby elephant and the monkey were afraid to interfere with the parrot. Therefore, they were very quiet. They stood side by side and also looked at the tail. Then they got tired of it.
- What do you think, - the elephant asked the monkey, - is he already measuring it?
- Are you already measuring it? the parrot monkey asked.
- Uh ... uh ... uh ... - said the parrot. - The fact is that usually boas are measured from the tail. And our boa constrictor is measured in reverse. From the head. It's his tail, right?
- Yes! - said the monkey. - It's his tail. And the head is there! - and the monkey waved her hand towards the thickets.
- Call the head! - ordered the parrot.
- Useless! - said the monkey. - The head will not hear us. She's far away now. Boa constrictor, you know how long!
- Now I'm running after her, - offered the elephant.
- Not worth it! - said the parrot. - Walk far. Better, let's pull his tail, and the head will crawl by itself.
The elephant, the monkey and the parrot grabbed the tail of the boa constrictor, and all at once pulled this tail.

They waited a little and pulled again. Then a little more and yanked again. The boa's head did not crawl.
- Why isn't she crawling? - asked the elephant.
- What if ... What if ... - the monkey closed her eyes in fear. - But what if!..
- What "what if"? - asked the elephant.
- What if it broke? cried the monkey.
- Who?
- Boa constrictor! We pull it here, and it broke there!
- Oh! - said the elephant.
- Exactly! - exclaimed the parrot. - Well, of course! We jerk him, but he tore - and his head knows nothing about his tail! Need to check!
The monkey, without saying a word, rushed into the thicket and rushed along the boa constrictor.
The baby elephant and the parrot rushed after her.
- Here he is whole. And here too, - they said to each other. - And there. And here. And here, too, is whole.
- Here! cried the monkey. - Look! This place is very fragile!
The baby elephant and the monkey grabbed the boa constrictor and began to pull it in different directions.
“No,” said the parrot. - This place is strong, probably, it was torn in another place. Let's move on.
And the boa constrictor's head lay in the bushes and listened to its sensations. The sensations were strange. Rather, at first there were no sensations.
“When will they start measuring me? - thought the boa constrictor impatiently. - Why don't they measure and measure everything? "
Finally, the boa felt itself being pulled by its tail.
“Aha! - thought the boa constrictor. - We started measuring! "
Then the boa constrictor was happy to make sure that his tail was being pulled harder and harder.
"They are trying!" - thought the boa constrictor.
Soon the boa noticed that they were pulling it not by the tail, but a little closer to the head.
“The tail has already been measured! - thought the boa constrictor. - We moved on. Oh well!"
And then the boa constrictor began to feel that he was being pulled in different directions.
- Wow! - the boa constrictor raised his head. - Great, they got down to business!
While the boa constrictor was being pulled, pulled, pushed and pinched in different places, he endured, but when the boa found that they began to tickle him, he could not stand it.
- Hee hee! he said to himself. - Oh! Ha ha! Hee hee hee! Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho! Wow! Oho-ho! It seems they got a little carried away! Oh! Oh! Oyo-oh!
The boa constrictor was terribly afraid of tickling. Since childhood. Therefore, he quickly turned and crawled towards the monkey, the elephant and the parrot.
And they searched for the elephant, monkey and parrot and still could not find where the boa had torn. They had reached almost the very middle, when the head of a boa constrictor appeared from the thickets.
- Hee hee! - said the head. - Why are you tickling?
- We don't tickle, we check! - the monkey dismissed.
- What are you checking? - the boa constrictor was surprised.
“You,” said the parrot. - What if you are torn ?!
- I AM? Torn? Where?! - the boa constrictor was horrified.
- In the middle, - the elephant sighed.
The boa constrictor rushed to its tail so quickly that it knocked the parrot down a little.
- We have already checked there! the parrot shouted after him.
The boa constrictor rushed in the other direction. He carefully examined himself to the very neck and only then he sighed with relief:
- Fu! Whole!
- Whole! - the monkey was delighted. The baby elephant and the parrot were also very happy.

When everyone calmed down a bit, the boa constricted him that he did not ask to be checked at all, he asked to be measured.
- Now! - said the parrot. - I'm already starting. Now, a boa constrictor, I will measure your height in parrots.
- In parrots? - the elephant and the monkey were surprised.
- Like this? - the boa constricted.
- And so, - said the parrot. - How many parrots can fit in you, you are so tall!
- Wow! - the monkey was horrified. - How much will fit !!!
- Really needed! - the boa constrictor was offended. “I’m not going to swallow that many parrots.
- Why swallow! Firstly, you don't need to swallow anyone, and secondly, one parrot is enough. Me.
- Well, - the boa constrictor said incredulously, - if you don't need to swallow, then measure it in parrots!
The parrot stepped forward and stepped on the tail of the boa constrictor.
- Oh! the boa constrictor said quietly.
But the parrot took another step and walked along the boa constrictor from tail to head.
The parrot walked and counted steps. He said:
Time! Two! Left! Right!
Two by two! Very simple
Boas are measured -
Five five - Any height!
Reaching the head, the parrot jumped to the ground and told the boa:
- Your height will be exactly thirty-eight parrots! That's how tall you are!
- Wow! - admired the boa constrictor. - Thirty eight!
- What else can you measure growth? the parrot monkey asked.
- Everyone! - said the parrot.
- And can you use monkeys?
- Can!
The monkey jumped to the boa constrictor and began to roll over it.
- One, two! shouted the monkey, tumbling. - Left, right! Twice ... - And then the monkey, which began tumbling from its head, didk to its tail.
- All! - the monkey said disappointedly. - It's all over already!
- Five monkeys! the parrot announced.
- And now ... let's get elephants! - suggested the elephant.
The baby elephant stood near the tail of the boa constrictor, stepped forward and said: “One!”. Then he took another step and said, "Two." And when he said: "Two", he was already near the head of the boa constrictor.
- Two! - the elephant sighed. - Only two…
- Two little elephants! the parrot announced.
- Hooray! - whispered a happy boa constrictor. - Hooray!!! he shouted with all his might. - Hooray!!! Perfectly! Just great! Thank! Thank you friends! For you, parrot! To you, monkey! And you, baby elephant! Well, how would I have measured my height, if not for you ?!
- You just wouldn't have had anything to measure it with, your height! - said the parrot.
- And now, - said the boa constrictor, - now I know that my height ...
- Two little elephants! - said the elephant.
- Five monkeys! - said the monkey.
- Thirty-eight parrots! - said the parrot.
- Hey! - the boa constrictor suddenly thought. - And in parrots I am much longer.

- Still would! - confirmed the parrot.
- Now, - exclaimed the boa constrictor, - when my grandmother arrives and says: Well, granddaughter, you seem to have grown up! " - I will answer her: "Yes, grandmother, I grew up." And I will tell her my height in parrots!
- Wait, - the monkey was surprised, - what kind of grandmother are you talking about?

- About mine! - said the boa constrictor.
- Will your grandmother come to us here, to Africa? the parrot asked.
- Will come!
- And when will she arrive? - asked the elephant.
- Very soon! - said the boa constrictor.

(Ill. E. Zapesochnaya)

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