Our friends at Boing Boing had recently posted up this footage of an interesting cartoon. During the Soviet Era the Russians decided they would create their own version of the childrens cartoon "Winne the Pooh" called "Vinni Puh". However, despite the close resemblance in name and a few key characters from the show Vinni and Winnie's behavior were drastically different from one another (as well as the obvious difference in fur color!).
Vinni, apparently had many an adventure that didn't necessarily result in him getting stuck in trees or holes in the ground and saying,"Oh, bother," like Winnie...of course I could be wrong. Despite not being able to understand Vinni (or Russian for that matter) I can understand his appeal to folks who seem to recall this cartoon with nostalgia as I read through comments from both Boing Boing and YouTube. I can't find any translations for this episode nor for any others so if anyone does understand what's being said I would love to know about it in the comments! You can also find further more episodes of Vinni Puh by clicking the YouTube link below.
*Update: TV Oldies and Tristan did an awesome job translating parts of this episode! So if you want to see what is being said check out the comments. Thanks TV Oldies and Tristan! :D
BoingBoing - [Link]
YouTube - [Link]
'Silly old bear,' said Christopher Robin. 'You don't get honey with balloons!'
'I do.' Said pooh.
Second episode tells about Puh and Piglet visiting Rabbit, which, I believe, is a second chapter of the Pooh book. Puh eats too much and gets stuck. After sneezing he gets pulled out.
Third story is another chapter of the book, the one about Eeyore losing his tail, but a bit changed. It is Eeyore's birthday, he is sad and gets even sadder when Puh discovers there is no tail. Everybody is trying to cheer him up and bringing presents.
Love these cartoons since childhood, as many Russian kids do.
Voices: Puh: http://actors.khv.ru/l/leonov.htm
Piglet: http://actors.khv.ru/s/savvina.htm
Both are very popular Russian artists.
Long long time ago - I guess last Friday, in one country lived a little bear, under the name Vinni Puh. Why under the name? Because there was a sign on his door - "Vinni Puh". And he lived under it.
One day Vinni Puh went to the woods to find some food. He didn't mind to get some food any time. Besides, he was a poet and on his spare time he was creating poems. And even songs.. Fos example like this:
[Ok, I don't get everything there. But it's something about things in his head and despite these things] "he sometimes creates not so badly. Vinni Puh is doing well. Therefor he is singing such songs. And it doesn't matter what he's doing, if only he doesn't start loosing weight (and he will if he will not get to eat on time). Yes! [fishes duck to the water]. Pam pa ram pa ram pa pam pam tram pa paa. Trum pu rum pu pum pum tram pam pa [or something like this :)] Pum pu rum pum ru pum pum pum.. rum pu rum pum rum pu pumpum.. [reads the sign - "very high oak"] rum pum pum pum.."
[Walks to the oak]"That "bzzz" is not for the good. The tree itself cannot buzz. There must be something up there. [sits] And why would you have to buzz if you are not a bee? I guess it is so. And why there are bees in the world? To make honey. I guess it is so. And why there is honey in the world? For me to eat it! I guess it is so! [starts climbing the tree], [sits on the branch, sighs, then gets up, starts climbing again and sing]. If bears would be bees, then they wouldn't ever think to build their houses on such height. [cracks the highest branch and falls down].
[It's about 3 minutes. Need some more?]
Chapter 1 – In which we become acquainted with Vinni Puh and a few suspicious bees
The narrator says that a long time ago (maybe last Friday), there was a bear named Vinni Puh. Vinni goes along the road and sings [I couldn’t understand most of the song except that at one point he slows down enough to say “I’m not always bad”). He sees a sign that says something to the effect of “really big oak tree.” Debates with himself at the tree whether he should climb it to get honey. He decides to. Falls out of the tree, goes to the piglet thing (his best friend). The sign on the piglet’s place says, roughly, “done by stranger v” (but even piglet himself doesn’t know who stranger v is). Puh says that he needs a balloon. Piglet asks, “What do you need a balloon for?” Puh whispers into his ear… “honey” (the word for honey sounds like “myot”—kinds rhymes with “boat”). Piglet says “who gets honey with a balloon??” Puh replies, “I do.” As it so happens, someone had given piglet two balloons, one green, and one blue. Puh loves the balloons, saying that the bees won’t suspect a thing because the green one blends in the leaves, and the blue one looks like a piece of sky. But Piglet points out that the bees will realize that Puh himself is under the balloons. Puh says, “Maybe they’ll realize it, maybe not.”
Together they trot off to the tree, singing a song that I can’t really understand, and Puh stops to ask piglet if he has an umbrella. Puh says, “Just in case, we should take an umbrella. We’ll be ready for whatever the bees give us.” Puh swan dives into the mud, comes out, and says, “There. Now I’m a real cloud.” They get to the tree, and Puh blows up the balloon some more and tells piglet to release the balloon. Puh asks piglet if he looks like a cloud.
Piglet replies… “No, not really.” The bees come out and aren’t buying Puh’s getup. Puh realizes this, and tells piglet to pretend like it’s going to rain. Meanwhile, Puh sings a song about how he is a cloud.
Puh asks Piglet if he has a toy gun at home. He fetches it, shoots, and misses. Puh asks piglet what he’s shooting at. “The cloud, of course,” replies, piglet. Puh tells him to shoot the balloon. Piglet shoots again, it hits Puh in the butt. Piglet says, “Did I hit it?” to which Puh replies, “No, you hit it right on. Except that you missed the balloon.” Piglet shoots again, hits the balloon this time, and Puh falls. He hits the ground, the mud comes off him, and Piget says “Vinni… Vinni?”
The End.
Fun little cartoon. I assume that there is a second part on youtube somewhere that continues the story. Note that there is no “w” sound in Russian; they replace it with a “v” sound. Hence Vinni and not Winnie. And the the “h” in “puh” is a cross between an “h” and a “k”.
Thanks for the translations oldies
Bravo! Thank you for the awesome translation! :D
With the green one, the bees will think that it is a leaf.
With the blue one, they will think it is a piece of the sky.
Piglet: But wont they notice you under the baloons?
Bear: They might, but I will pretend to be a little cloud.
... or the original one should stop valium...
"The bees! The bees! The capitalist bees!"
"I will get my Soviet weaponary, which is superior to the West's capitalist stingers!"
"Let me down! Their capitalist buzzing is influencing me to engage in homosexuality and desire cheaper bread!"
"No! No! I will shoot again!"
It's MUCH better when you're drunk. Or "otherwise altered"
Just checked the video and it seems to be working on my end. Did you try checking out the direct YouTube link?