Since childhood, many of us remember the touching cartoon kitten from Voronezh, who by magic fell into faraway Africa. But not everyone knows that in this Russian city there is a monument to a kitten from Lizyukov Street - the first monument to a cartoon character in the country. This is probably not the most famous of the heroes of the Soviet cartoons, but everyone knows the address of the kitten Vasily. Probably because grateful residents of the city raised funds to translate into a steel monument drawn tailed "fellow countryman."
Cartoon about a kitten
The story of a kitten dreaming of returning from sultry Africa to his native Voronezh was invented by the writer Vitaliy Zlotnikov. The script was proposed by Soyuzmultfilm studio, where the creator of the immortal "Well, wait a minute!" Vyacheslav Kotenochkin.
In 1988, viewers saw the cartoon "Kitten from Lizyukova Street" - a monument to the perestroika era. Cooperatives, emigration are signs of the times that an adult viewer pays attention to. And the children simply sympathize with the misadventures of the mustachioed hero, who did not find happiness among the African sands, and happily returned home to his hometown.
Monument to a kitten from Lizyukova street: from idea to project
For the idea of creating a monument, I must say thanks to the editorial offices of two newspapers: the local branch of Komsomolskaya Pravda and Young Communard, as well as the head of the administration of the Kominternovsky district. They announced a competition for the best project, the winner of which was a local schoolgirl Irina Pivovarova, whose drawing was taken as a basis by professional sculptors.
And the present view of the monument to the kitten from Lizyukova Street in Voronezh acquired after the completion of the project by Elsa Pak and Ivan Dikunov. The protagonist of the cartoon with his friend crow is sitting on the branches of a tree, a kitten emotionally talks about something to a winged companion. Probably, the moment was captured when Vasily asked to turn him into such a beast so that "everyone was afraid."
How to create a monument
A family of sculptors Dikunov, father and son, took on the idea in metal, and only eight people worked on the monument. It took more than six months to complete the task. The material was chosen light and durable duralumin. For brightness, the winged metal was coated with silver paint. And the stability of the structure was ensured by pouring five buckets of cement inside the "tree".
The monument to the kitten from Lizyukov Street was officially unveiled on December 5, 2003. There was a small incident: on the opening day, the kitten suddenly “peeled off” his mustache. The ceremony had to be postponed for two hours, until the newly attached parts were securely fixed on the face of the "honorary Voronezh".
The address of the monument to a kitten from Lizyukova street
Where can the famous kitten be located, if not on the street repeatedly mentioned in the cartoon? The place for the monument was found in a crowded place, opposite the Mir cinema, where always, especially on weekends, they can be admired by both Voronezh residents and city guests.
By the way, a little about the street. She bears the name of Major General Alexander Ilyich Lizyukov, Hero of the Soviet Union, who participated in the liberation of Voronezh. The street is located in the largest residential district "North" and is its main highway. Therefore, a monument to a kitten from Lizyukova Street in Voronezh is always in front of many citizens.
Reconstruction plans
With all its advantages, duralumin was not ideal material for the monument. Over the years, temperature changes, rains and snow cracked the metal. Sculpture lovers also cause considerable harm to souvenirs: a kitten regularly breaks off its mustache and tail.
Therefore, in 2010, they decided to reconstruct the monument to the kitten from Lizyukova Street. The updated monument was supposed to be resistant to both weather and the machinations of vandals. Local authorities made an estimate: at that time the reconstruction would have cost 800 thousand rubles. It should be noted that the citizens raised money for the construction of the monument, and it did not cost a penny to the local budget . It was assumed that for the updated sculpture, funds will be given by patrons. Unfortunately, there were no people in the city who could help breathe new life into the somewhat decrepit monument "Kitten from Lizyukova Street". Voronezh, an address on a street whose name no one had heard before, became known throughout the country thanks to touching Vasily. Perhaps it would be worth showing more respect for the "famous countryman."
What other cartoon characters immortalized in sculpture
The first monument to the cartoon hero is the sculpture of the sailor Papaya, installed back in 1937 in Crystal City (Texas, USA). Money was raised by farmers who cultivated spinach (this particular vegetable was the source of the fabulous power of the cartoon character).
Jem Boy, the hero of the Japanese animated series, is immortalized in stone. A monument to him stands in the city of Funabashi.
As mentioned above, the monument to the kitten from Lizyukova Street is the first such monument in Russia. But today is far from the only one. The initiative of Voronezh residents was supported in many cities.
A whole group of monuments was built in Ramenskoye near Moscow. Here are the heroes of “Well, wait a minute!”, And “Winnie the Pooh”, and “Cheburashki”, and a series of cartoons about the village of Prostokvashino. In Penza, there is a monument to the Hedgehog in the Fog. And the Tomsk Wolf - the character of the animated film "Once Upon a Dog" even knows how to speak and sing.
And in Voronezh itself, not only a kitten from Lizyukova Street was immortalized. The monument was erected to another animal, though the hero of the film and the film is not a cartoon. This is the famous White Bim Black Ear - a symbol of friendship and devotion.