This Russian Bear Is Hitting the Mall

The bear has long been a ferocious projection of Russia’s power at home and abroad. Lately, a Russian bear that’s more like a kindly uncle has been winning hearts from Baltimore to Berlin: the affable and patient companion of a mischievous girl in the cartoon Masha and the Bear. The series, which has won accolades worldwide, is one of the top-rated channels on YouTube and made its debut on Netflix in August. The producers are planning a licensing push into everything from yogurt to burgers to plush animals.

Moscow production company Animaccord has released 52 six-minute episodes in which the hyperactive Masha typically annoys her long-suffering companion, who’s more interested in fishing or playing checkers. In one story, she wakes him up from hibernation and demands that he teach her to ice skate; in another, he must repeatedly launder and mend her dress after she’s covered in mud, food, and ashes. “Our six-minute series suits the YouTube format very well,” logging a total of more than 5.5 billion views, says Dmitry Loveyko, co-owner of Animaccord. “No amount of promotion could have gotten us to that level. The Internet is a very honest thing.”