Gena & Cheburashka · a fan encyclopedia
Characters
Editorial cutoff: 8 October 2026
Across the versions
Across the versions ·
Chandra
OverviewChandr is a lonely lion; Tobik is a small dog. Their friendship gives the House of Friendship its clearest proof: being unlike one another does not prevent companionship. They belong to the expanded community around the central pair, and Chandr receives additional everyday stories in the Japanese television series.
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Cheburashka
OverviewCheburashka is the small, unknown animal whose wish for friendship holds this world together. His rounded ears and gentle gaze come from animation; his first home in the book is a tropical forest.
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Galya
OverviewGalya is the girl who answers Gena’s notice and becomes a practical member of the friendship-building group. In the first book she is connected with a children’s theatre; her dog Tobik needs company too. Her presence shows that humans and animals can form friendships on equal terms. The newer series retains her as a neighbour who asks the bureau for help.
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Gena the Crocodile
OverviewGena is a courteous, green crocodile who goes to the zoo for work and returns home alone. His jacket, hat and accordion combine an adult’s dignity with a longing for company. Friendship, rather than strength, makes him the steady centre of the original stories.
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Lariska
OverviewLariska is Shapoklyak’s rat and accomplice, often carried in her handbag. She helps with thefts and tricks and makes the old lady’s performance more theatrical. Although rats frighten other characters, Lariska is also a companion: their partnership mirrors the heroes’ friendship in a mischievous register.
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Shapoklyak
OverviewShapoklyak is the mischievous old lady with a collapsible top hat, handbag and rat Lariska. She wants attention and measures success in the trouble she causes. Her schemes test the friends’ patience, but the original films also allow her to help rather than remain a permanent villain.
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