Skip to content
Pop Culture Hall
  • Inductees
  • Brands
  • News
  • Community Supporters
  • Industry partners
  • Announcements
  • Causes we Support

Just You Wait! Nu Pogodi’s Wolf and Hare Enter Pop Culture Hall of Fame

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Ron Ruelle
nu pagodi wolf and hare

There’s a good chance cartoon fans in the United States aren’t familiar with Nu Pogodi, a cartoon that was produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 2017. As with many pop culture phenomena produced overseas, it was big everywhere else. And for that, this Wolf and Rabbit deserve a spot in the Pop Culture Hall of Fame.

nu pagodi characters
For the uninitiated, just you wait! No seriously… the title translates to “Just You Wait,” which is one of the main character’s catchphrases. Each episode of the Nu Pogodi features the Wolf (Волк) and the Rabbit (Заяц) who have wacky adventures… and that’s about as deep as it gets, not unlike Tom and Jerry. But the animation is incredibly lively, and the voice casting so spot on that it took on a huge life in Eastern Europe. It’s a simple concept really, but so well done that despite only 22 episodes of 10 minutes or so each in existence, it has become a cultural icon.

As one might guess, early adventures started off with a predator/prey dynamic, similar to Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner for example. Over the years, however, their relationship mellowed and they became more like frenemies, with the Wolf growing less menacing and more buffonish.

The Hare, whose name also translates to Zayats acted primarily as a foil for the Wolf in early episodes, but his actions became more developed and prominent. His outfits rarely strayed from his typical green shirt and dark shorts unless the story demanded. 

The Wolf, also known as Volk, displayed a lot more change over the decades, and not just in mellowing out around Zayats. His outfits tended to reflect the fashion sense of a given era, although his bell-bottom pants could be interpreted as naval wear or classic 1970s garb. He smoked in most episodes, changing to a lollipop only in the last few entries.

nu pagodi stampProduced by the very Cold War-era sounding Soyuzmultfilm  Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin was the first at the company to see the promise of the idea. Early episodes were screened as part of kids’ variety shows, but the idea became popular enough to stand on its own in future installments.

Perhaps the case of quality over quantity is one of the keys to the success of Nu Pogodi… or maybe we’re just overthinking the simplicity of a landmark cartoon about a wolf and a rabbit and their hijinks. Either way, Nu Pogodi’s wait is over for the Pop Culture Hall of Fame.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Post navigation

 John Williams Scores a Spot in Pop Culture Hall of FameRoblox Founder David Baszucki Creates Spot in Pop Culture Hall of Fame 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

wp-puzzle.com logo

Newest Community Supporter

Newest Industry Affiliate

Announcements

  • Legion M Teams With The Actors Fund to Combat COVID-19
  • Final Fantasy Figures and a Fan Favorite Remake
  • Power Rangers Meet Ninja Turtles!

On Facebook

On Facebook

Twitter

Tweets by popculturehall
  • Contact Us

Get the Pop Culture Hall of Fame's latest news straight to your inbox

Copyright 2015 - 2023 - Pop Culture Hall

Pop Culture Hall of Fame

Get the Pop Culture Hall of Fame's latest news straight to your inbox