Lawmakers in the UK called for the removal of the popular Russian cartoon Masha and the Bear from broadcast. MPs argued that the series is used to spread Russia's soft power and project a positive image of Russia to children. They cited as reasons that the main character sometimes wears Soviet-style military hats and costumes, and the show's vast global audience.
The series' production company Animaccord announced in a statement that Masha and the Bear is purely for entertainment and carries no political message. The controversy is seen as a reflection of the growing sensitivity in the West towards Russian cultural products following the Russia-Ukraine war.
The history of propaganda in animation
Experts note that cartoons have long been used not just as children's entertainment but also as soft power tools that shape a country's image and transmit values. During World War II in the United States, Disney produced propaganda films such as 'Der Fuehrer's Face,' which mocked Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, and 'Education for Death,' which criticized the Nazi education system. Japan also used the animation 'Momotaro: Sacred Sailors' to encourage children to support the military and the emperor.
The ideological struggle of the Cold War
During the Cold War, cartoons became a front in the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. According to CIA documents declassified in the 1990s, the animated adaptation of George Orwell's novel 'Animal Farm' was secretly funded by the CIA in 1954, and the novel's pessimistic ending was changed to a more optimistic finale. The aim of this change was to encourage resistance against communist regimes.
The Soviet Union, through its largest animation studio Soyuzmultfilm, produced dozens of films that glorified collective work, loyalty to the state, and cooperation. These productions aimed to instill socialist values by portraying the ideal Soviet citizen.
Political interpretations today
Today, even cartoons created without any ideological intent can be subject to political interpretations. Disney's 'Zootopia' has been read as a metaphor for institutional racism and discrimination, while the 1990s series 'Captain Planet and the Planeteers' was accused by some circles of promoting anti-capitalist propaganda.
The Masha and the Bear controversy in the UK is seen as one of the latest examples of this trend. Experts point out that cartoons, once used directly as propaganda tools by states, can now acquire new meanings when viewed through the lens of geopolitical and cultural conflicts.
