Vintage “Nu, Pogodi!” Soviet Animated Comedy Series Cigarette Case – Case # 51

Behold! A cartoon rabbit feeding a wolf a bar of…something, who’s head is stuck in a the doors of a train.

This is a rare vintage cigarette case featuring the Wolf and Hare from the long running, immensely popular Soviet, later Russian, animated comedy series Well, Just You Wait! (Russian: Ну, погоди!, or Nu, pogodi!)

From Wikipedia:

In the 2014 all-Russian poll Well, Just You Wait! won by a wide margin as people’s favorite cartoon/animated series of all time. The first episode aired in 1969.

The series follows the comical adventures of Wolf (Волк), trying to catch – and presumably eat – Hare (Заяц). It features additional characters that usually either help the hare or interfere with the Wolf’s plans. The original film language is Russian, but very little speech is used, usually interjections or at most several sentences per episode. The series’ most common line is the eponymous “Nu, pogodi!”, yelled by the wolf when his plans fail. It also includes many  grunts, laughs, and songs.

The Wolf, commonly transliterated into English as Volk (Russian: Волк), is initially portrayed as a hooligan who eagerly turns to vandalism, abuses minors, breaks laws, and is a smoker. His appearance was inspired by a person the director Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin saw on the street, specifically a man with longhair, a protruding belly, and a thick cigarette between his lips.

Aluminum case measures 107 x 84 x 17 mm