6 days ago
Baby Trump and Musk feature in Russian propaganda cartoon for toddlers
Baby-faced versions of Donald Trump and Elon Musk feature in a new Russian propaganda cartoon for toddlers.
Animated characters of the US president and the Doge boss are to appear in a new children's television show on geopolitics launched by one of Russia's most infamous propaganda agents.
Called Sandpit, the show is designed to 'instil patriotism from an early age' and teach Russian pre-school children to 'discuss geopolitics', according to Vladimir Solovyov, the cartoon's creator.
Mr Solovyov has been sanctioned by the European Union and Britain for spreading disinformation that undermines Ukraine's sovereignty.
A trailer for the show features animated versions of Mr Trump alongside Mr Musk, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron, Kim Jong-un and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, all as children, meeting on a video call.
While Mr Trump is depicted in his trademark navy suit and a red tie with cockatiel blonde hair, Putin is wearing a white judo outfit, a sport in which he has a black belt, and is seen staring at a black toy ship – possibly representing his Black Sea fleet.
Mr Musk, meanwhile, is pictured playing with a toy Tesla Cybertruck, while Kim clings tightly to a model rocket, in a nod to his military ambitions.
In the 30-second trailer, released on Telegram, Kim suggests that Mr Macron should not be allowed to hang out with the other leaders on a holiday in Istanbul because 'you are always with your granny', in a nod to the French president's wife, Brigitte, who is 25 years his senior.
After Mr Trump enquires why they are speaking on a Russian video platform, Putin replies: 'Because your Skype is dead, that's why.' Microsoft closed down the former video-conferencing platform earlier this month.
Beneath their screens, the world leaders are represented by a string of avatars.
Mr Trump is depicted as the pope, blessing worshippers, in reference to Mr Trump sharing an image of himself as the pontiff in the wake of Pope Francis's death.
Putin's avatar is a bear wearing a Russian hat with a red star, while Kim is depicted as a mushroom cloud.
SolovyovLive, Mr Solovyov's production company which financed the project, called the show 'an ambitious step into the future, where political awareness starts in infancy. The new studio from the SolovyovLive team opens the door to the world of big politics for young audiences.'
'Where else can kids discuss geopolitics with the same ease as conflicts over a shovel in the sand?' it said.
'SolovyovKids is when patriotism is instilled from an early age, and analytical thinking develops even before first grade. It's time to rethink children's television.'
The release of the show comes amid a renewed push by the Kremlin to impress Putin's world view on schoolchildren.
In January, history textbooks were released likening Russia's war effort in Ukraine to the Soviet struggle against the Nazis and claimed the invasion was 'a question of life and death, the question of our historic future as a people'.
A Russian drone manufacturer with links to Putin's daughter this week published the country's first textbook on operating drones, as the Kremlin pushes to train one million drone operators by 2030.
Mr Solovyov has been condemned by Ukrainian authorities for spreading pro-Russian propaganda since Putin's full-scale invasion. The Russian television presenter has claimed Ukrainians 'serve Satan' and are ruled by 'fascists'.
He has also falsely claimed British intelligence services staged the 2022 massacre of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha, alleging they chose the town because its name sounds like 'butcher'.
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