📰 I've just read this interesting article about Zeliboba!

Who would have thought that we partly have… Joe Biden to thank for the appearance of the shaggy Zeliboba on Russian television? Wait, what? Yes! Sesame Street in Russia was much more than just an educational program.

It all began in 1969, when producer Joan Ganz Cooney and psychologist Lloyd Morrisett created a unique show in which funny puppets called Muppets taught children how to count and read. The show's name refers to the magical phrase “Open Sesame!” from the tale of Ali Baba. It became a symbol of opening the doors to new knowledge, making learning accessible to every child.

The show quickly conquered the world, but it didn't reach Russia until the mid-1990s.

The first challenge was funding. Part of the money was secured with the help of Joe Biden, who was still a senator at the time. The rest had to be raised in Russia.
Producer Natasha Lance Rogoff negotiated with Boris Berezovsky, but an assassination attempt on the oligarch in 1994 derailed the deal. The project was saved by Irina Borisova, owner of the VideoArt agency. Later, Nestlé joined as a sponsor.

And in 1996, a trio of characters created especially for Russian audiences made their debut on NTV: the blue, shaggy Zeliboba, with his extraordinary sense of smell; Kubik, the inventor; and Businka, the cheerful optimist.

By the way, Zeliboba's name was invented by Nana Grinstein, who would later become a screenwriter of the film