Do You Love Me?
November 21, 2006 | permalink

I'm sure you will find this a shocking revelation, Gentle Readers, but I have a thing for bears. I would go so far as to say that I feel a kinship with them, and I am always looking for books, films, and news stories that feature my dangerous but lovable brethren. I found the true story of Potapych, the Bear Who Loved Vodka yesterday on Neatorama.

Potapych, it seems, ended up being cared for by the drunkard Uncle Misha, who taught the bear to drink vodka. The two would get drunk together, often, and Potapych eventually became a public menace and was taken into the custody of the city zoo. The Pravda news article is here.

Darren Price made a short animated film about Potapych and Misha. It is simultaneously one of the cutest and most unsettling cartoons I have ever seen. The whimsical animation style is offset by the dark undertones of lonliness and despair in a way that is most definitely Russian. Dostoevsky would be proud. You should check it out: Potapych, the Bear Who Loved Vodka.

Posted in Random & The Internet
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