Krokodil
Krokodil (Russian: "Крокодил", "crocodile") was a satirical magazine published in the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1922. At that time, a large number of satirical magazines existed, such as Zanoza and Prozhektor. Nearly all of them eventually disappeared.
Although political satire was dangerous during much of the Soviet period, Krokodil was given considerable license to lampoon political figures and events. Typical and safe topics for lampooning in the Soviet era were the lack of initiative and imagination promoted by the style of an average Soviet middle-bureaucrat, and the problems produced by drinking on the job by Soviet workers. Krokodil also ridiculed capitalist countries and attacked various political, ethnic and religious groups that allegedly opposed the Soviet system. For example, at the time of the Doctors' plot it published a number of anti-semitic articles and cartoons.
Many notable persons contributed to the magazine, including Vladimir Mayakovsky, Kukriniksy, and Yuliy Ganf.
Similar magazines existed in all the Union republics, and in several ASSRs
| Republic | Title | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ukrainian SSR | Перець | Pepper |
| Belarusian SSR | Вожык | Hedgehog |
| Uzbek SSR | Муштум | Fist |
| Kazakh SSR | Ара | Bumblebee |
| Georgian SSR | ნიანგი | Crocodile |
| Azerbaijani SSR | Кирпи | Hedgehog |
| Lithuanian SSR | Šluota | Broom |
| Moldavian SSR | Кипэруш | Pepper |
| Latvian SSR | Dadzis | Bur |
| Kyrgyz SSR | Чалкан | Nettle |
| Tajik SSR | Хорпуштак | Hedgehog |
| Armenian SSR | Ոզնի | Hedgehog |
| Turkmen SSR | Токмак | ? |
| Estonian SSR | Pikker | Pikker |
| Bashkir ASSR | Хэнэк | Pitchfork |
| Chuvash ASSR | Капкан | Trap |
| Komi ASSR | Чушканзі | Wasp |
| Mari ASSR | Пачемыш | Wasp |
| Tatar ASSR | Чаян | Scorpion |
| Udmurt ASSR | Шӧкыч | Hornet |
and in other states of the Soviet bloc, e.g. Стършел ("Wasp") in Bulgaria, Eulenspiegel in East Germany, Urzică ("The Nettle") in Romania and Dikobraz ("porcupine") in Czechoslovakia.
Among the vocal compositions of Dmitri Shostakovich, who is known for his satirical character, there are 5 Romances on texts from Krokodil Magazine (1965), which is a satire of satire.
[edit] Reinstatement
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the magazine was discontinued. It was reinstated in 2005 in Russia, issued monthly, headquartered in Moscow, and with editor-in-chief Sergei Mostovshchikov. The reinstated version is deliberately printed on old Soviet-style paper.
