Menu

The 8. MOST VIEWED video on YouTube is RUSSIAN?!

The 8. MOST VIEWED video on YouTube is RUSSIAN?!
06 October 2021

As we humans love music, it is to be expected that the audiovisual material we consume the most is music videos. Therefore, hits such as “Despacito”, “Shape of You” and “See you again” are in the Top 5 in the ranking of the most played videos on YouTube. But the interesting thing is that, within the top 10 most viewed videos on this social network, only 5 are music videos, and the other 5 are children’s content. And yes, believe it or not, the 8th most watched video worldwide on YouTube is RUSSIAN, and it is none other than the Russian cartoon “Masha and the Bear” (Маша и Медведь), of which I will tell you a little bit about below.

What is this show about and why did it become so famous?

Masha is a small, mischievous and curious Russian girl who lives in the forest with her unconditional, faithful but unusual friend: a kind and patient bear, retired from circus life, who takes care of Masha and at the same time acts as a kind of mentor/father to her. The episodes of this series show you the different adventures of these two characters and their friends, and there is usually a small moral lesson behind each episode.

The great success of the series lies in the ease of the plot, so that people from all countries and even from a very young age can understand what each episode is about, even without necessarily having to understand the language.

Another reason why the series has had such a big boom is a simple one: children. The market for children’s entertainment is huge, and so, as I mentioned at the beginning, it’s no wonder that half of the most watched videos on YouTube are content for little ones (Baby Shark being the most watched video worldwide so far, for example). Thanks to today’s technology, channels like YouTube have become a strong ally for parents when it comes to entertaining their children, and as we all do from time to time, one Netflix episode turns into four, and this ultimately results in an incredibly large number of views.

Finally, religion is also said to be an important factor in the high number of plays of this cartoon’s videos. Why? You see, in most of the episodes, little Masha is wearing a traditional Russian garment that is usually worn in somewhat more remote regions (fields/forests/meadows), and which includes a kind of small cloth that covers part of the head. This garment can be interpreted as a kind of “Jihab”, a traditional Muslim head covering.

Therefore, this cartoon may appeal to people who practice Islam, not only because of the religious theme, but also because girls who practice this religion can identify with little Masha. This last point has not been talked about much, but it is known to be a reason (even a very important one) for the success of this Russian cartoon and why people all over the world consume it. You can find an interesting article on this topic by clicking here.

Practising basic Russian with cartoons

Although the dialogues are very short, this series can be a great exercise for practising a bit of Russian, both in comprehension and oral production (of course, if you are only just getting started). There have even been times in Russian classes when we have watched an episode and then had to tell in Russian what it was about. This is a good exercise to start practising and to lose the fear of speaking in this beautiful but difficult language.

More caricatures that might interest you (or your children, nephews, nieces, cousins… ) ?

If you are interested in learning more about Russian cartoons and learning a little Russian with them at the same time, or even if you just have children or grandchildren, cousins or nephews and nieces that you want to share some great Russian cartoons with, then be sure to check out these articles on our site.

Oh, and by the way! … If you want to watch the video that was so much talked about in this article, here you go:

Posted by Fabio Reyes

Здравствуй! My name is Fabio and I study Applied Linguistics at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. I am currently interning and studying Russian at Liden & Denz St. Petersburg, which is why I will be keeping you up to date with blogs related to Russia for the next 12 weeks. Stay tuned ?!

Leave a Reply

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

Related posts
Udelnaya Flea Market Looking for a unique way to practice your Russian this weekend, and maybe pick up a few souvenirs along the way? Then ...
Read more
The anniversary of Ivan IV’s birth occurs this Sunday (August 25). Ivan IV (Иван IV) is probably the most famous Tsar of the first royal dynasty ...
Read more
This post will not be a goodbye to Russia, as I am not leaving Russia yet. In March, Luuk – you should read his articles – and I are taking the ...
Read more
They said WHAT?! Not all Russian words that sound like English words have the same meaning - these are called false friends. Liden & Denz ...
Read more
Ever wondered what it is like to have an internship in Russia? Listen to the experiences of two interns working at the Marriott Renaissance ...
Read more
Привет ребята! My name is Nicolas and I'll be interning as a blogger with L&D this summer in Saint Petersburg and then Moscow. I'm ...
Read more
The Riga Christmas Market is an enchanting celebration that combines tradition, conviviality, and the magic of the holiday season in a historic ...
Read more
Dom Knigi (Дом книги) is situated on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt (Невский Проспект) and Canal Griboedova (Канал грибоедова). The bookstore is ...
Read more
When someone takes an interest in Pushkin’s language, it’s often because they have been captivated by Russian culture. One of the first art forms ...
Read more
  In the realm of Russian poetry, few voices have captivated readers and left an indelible mark quite like Boris Rizhiy. Born in 1974, ...
Read more
It was an absolute pleasure to rediscover Riga this year, especially since winter offered me a perspective vastly different from the one I had ...
Read more
You'll have spotted many statues around town, but did you know that some of these can bring you luck? If you want some money or success in ...
Read more
  Greetings everyone from Liden and Denz, St Petersburg! My name is Rina, I am a university student from Canada, studying Forensic ...
Read more
Walking down Садовая Улица (Sadovaya Ulitsa) from the city center you can see how the variety of shops restaurants and bars increases with every ...
Read more
Всем привет! My name is Eda and I am from Turkey, Istanbul. I will be studying and interning as Social Media assistant at Liden&Denz in ...
Read more
A hidden treasure for lovers of the past Latgale Tirgus, an atypical flea market in the heart of Riga, is a goldmine for those seeking ...
Read more
Всем привет! My name is Krisztián. I’m a new intern from Hungary, who is lucky enough to spend the whole summer studying Russian in one of the ...
Read more
Katerina Mackova is a 31 year old Czech living here in Russia, after spending several years as an air hostess for Emirates Airlines. Here is her ...
Read more
Following a cracking 4-1 victory over Krasnodar on the 12th of April and a 2-1 victory over Anzhi Makhackala, St Petersburg's football team, ...
Read more
As a future Geology student, I decided to visit the Vernadsky State Geological Museum. This is a very particular place to visit. There are ...
Read more
If you've been keeping up with these blogs, you might know that I have finally made it to Russia! Although I had to isolate for two weeks upon ...
Read more
Tomorrow there will be a chance for students from the school to visit the fascinating island town of Кронштадт (Kronstadt). The excursion only ...
Read more
Привет everyone :-)  My name is Daniela, I’m 21 years old and I’m excited to join Liden & Denz as a Social Media Content Assistant and ...
Read more
One of the best and most fascinating ways to explore St. Petersburg is by using the city's beautiful and historic metro system. First opened in ...
Read more
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

x
 
I love Russian course books
Did you know that Russian has six cases? Choose your level and get a free course book chapter to master them!