Crocodile Gena

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Crocodile Gena (Russian: Крокодил Гена, Krokodil Gena) is a fictional friendly crocodile in the series of Cheburashka books by Russian writer Eduard Uspensky and also in the animated films based on the series by Soyuzmultfilm studio.

Gena works as a crocodile in a zoo and plays the garmon and likes to sing. His two well-known songs are "Pust' begut neuklyushe..." (see below) and Goluboy vagon ("Blue Train").

Gena is best friends with Cheburashka, the title character in the series. Gena is 50 years old. He is voiced by Vasily Livanov.

One rainy day, which happens to be his birthday, Gena sings a song "Пусть бегут неуклюже пешеходы по лужам... (Let the pedestrians run clumsily over the puddles), which contains the line: "unfortunately, a birthday happens only once a year". This song by Vladimir Shainsky had since become known as the "Crocodile Gena's Song". It has been popular among Russophones of various ages and generations.