View source for Krokodil

{{Short description|Soviet and Russian satirical magazine (1922–2008)}}
{{about|the magazine|4=other uses}}
{{Expand Russian|Крокодил (журнал)|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox magazine
| title = Крокодил
| image_file = Cover of Krokodil magazine No 1 by I Malyutin.jpg
| image_caption = ''The Unexpected Appendix''. The cover of the first issue of ''Krokodil'' by [[Ivan Malyutin]].
| publisher = [[Rabochaya Gazeta]], [[Pravda]]
| category = [[Satire]] and [[humour]]
| total_circulation = 
| frequency = 3 issues per month
| language = [[Russian language|Russian]]
| editor = 
| editor_title = 
| based = [[Moscow]]
| founded = 1922
| firstdate = 27 August 1922
| finaldate = 2008
| country = [[Soviet Union]]<br />[[Russia]]
| website = 
| issn = 0130-2671
}}'''''Krokodil''''' ({{lang-rus|Крокодил|p=krəkɐˈdʲil|a= Ru-крокодил.ogg}}, {{literally|crocodile}}) was a [[Humor magazine |satirical magazine]] published in the [[Soviet Union]] and later Russia. The first issue was published on 27 August 1922 <ref>"20 Kopecks Buys You Satire Soviet Style", by Dan Fisher, ''Los Angeles Times'', July 31, 1977, p.I-12 ("As it approaches its 55th birthday Aug. 27, the magazine Krokodil is, indeed, among the Soviet Union's most popular publications.") </ref> as the satirical supplement to the ''[[Rabochaya Gazeta (1922)|Workers' Gazette]]'' (called simply «Приложения» [Supplement]).<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1964/06/07/archives/behind-the-smile-on-krokodil.html Behind The Smile On Krokodil], June 7, 1964, [[The New York Times]]</ref><ref>{{cite web| first1 =James | last1 = Adams|title=15 Incredible Soviet Era Magazine Covers|url= http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk/news/15-incredible-soviet-era-magazine-covers/|publisher=Cartridge Save |accessdate=27 July 2015}}</ref> When it became a separate publication, the name ''Crocodile'' was chosen at an editorial meeting from among a list of suggested animal names.<ref>Boris Efimov, [https://www.e-reading.club/bookreader.php/1031487/Efimov_-_Desyat_desyatiletiy.html Десять десятилетий], ch. 6: "Тогда пошли в ход всевозможные жалящие и кусающие представители животного мира: оса, еж, шмель, ерш, ястреб, волкодав, скорпион и даже… крокодил."</ref> At that time, many satirical magazines existed, such as ''Zanoza'' and ''Prozhektor''. Nearly all of them eventually disappeared.

==History==
Krokodil was founded in 1922, first as a supplement to ''[[Rabochaya Gazeta (1922)|Rabochaya Gazeta]]'' ('Workers' Newspaper'), and was published once a week. Although [[political satire]] was dangerous during much of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] period,{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} ''Krokodil'' was given considerable license to lampoon political figures and events. Typical and safe topics for lampooning in the Soviet era were the lack of initiative and imagination promoted by the style of an average Soviet middle-bureaucrat 
and the problems produced by drinking on the job by Soviet workers.  ''Krokodil'' also ridiculed capitalist countries and attacked various political, ethnic and religious groups that allegedly opposed the Soviet system.

Many notable persons contributed to the magazine, including [[Vladimir Mayakovsky]], [[Mikhail Zoshchenko]], [[Kukriniksy]], and [[Yuliy Ganf]].

Similar magazines existed in all the [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Union republic]]s, and in several ASSRs and in other states of the Soviet bloc, e.g. ''[[Starshel (magazine)|Starshel]]'' ("Wasp") in [[Bulgaria]], ''[[Eulenspiegel – Das Satiremagazin|Eulenspiegel]]'' in [[East Germany]], ''[[Urzica (magazine)|Urzica]]'' ("The Nettle") in [[Romania]], ''[[Dikobraz]]'' ("[[Porcupine]]") in [[Czechoslovakia]], and ''[[Szpilki]]'' ("Pins") in Poland.
[[File:1924-HVZ-Mag2.png|thumb|Supplements to the ''Workers' newspaper'', 1924]]
Among the [[vocal]] compositions of [[Dmitri Shostakovich]], who is known for his satirical character, there are ''5 Romances on texts from Krokodil Magazine'' (1965), taken from the section of the magazine where were published real-life nonsense texts.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Republic
!Title
!Translation
|-
|[[Ukrainian SSR]]||[[Perets'|Перець]]||''Pepper''
|-
|[[Belarusian SSR]]||Вожык||''Hedgehog''
|-
|[[Uzbek SSR]]||[[Mushtum|Муштум]]||''Fist''
|-
|[[Kazakh SSR]]||Ара||''Bumblebee''
|-
|[[Georgian SSR]]||ნიანგი||''Crocodile''
|-
|[[Azerbaijani SSR]]||Кирпи||''Hedgehog''
|-
|[[Lithuanian SSR]]||''[[Šluota]]''||''Broom''
|-
|[[Moldavian SSR]]||Кипэруш||''Pepper''
|-
|[[Latvian SSR]]||[[Dadzis]]||''Bur''
|-
|[[Kyrgyz SSR]]||Чалкан||''Nettle''
|-
|[[Tajik SSR]]||Хорпуштак||''Hedgehog''
|-
|[[Armenian SSR]]||Ոզնի||''Hedgehog''
|-
|[[Turkmen SSR]]||Токмак||''Mallet''
|-
|[[Estonian SSR]]||''[[Pikker (magazine)|Pikker]]''|| ''[[Pikne|Pikker]]''
|-
|[[Bashkir ASSR]]||Хэнэк||''Pitchfork''
|-
|[[Chuvash ASSR]]||Капкан||''Trap''
|-
|[[Komi ASSR]]||Чушканзі||''Wasp''
|-
|[[Mari ASSR]]||Пачемыш||''Wasp''
|-
|[[Tatar ASSR]]||Чаян||''Scorpion''
|-
|[[Udmurt ASSR]]||Шӧкыч||''Hornet''
|}

==Reinstatement==
After the 1991 [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] the magazine was discontinued (2000). It was reinstated in 2005 in [[Russia]], issued monthly, headquartered in [[Moscow]], and with editor-in-chief [[Sergei Mostovshchikov]]. The reinstated version, deliberately printed on old Soviet-style paper, ceased publication in 2008.

== Editors-in-chief ==
[[File:The Editorial Staff of Krokodil by P Belyanin 1929.jpg|240px|thumb|right|''The Editorial Staff of Krokodil Discussing a Theme''.  A friendly jest by Pyotr Belyanin (1929).]]
* [[Konstantin Eremeev]] (1922–23)
* Nikolay Smirnov (1924–27)
* Konstantin Maltsev (1927–28)
* [[Feliks Kon|Felix Kohn]] (1928–30)
* Nikolay Ivanov-Gramen (1928–30)
* {{ill|Mikhail Manuilsky|ru|Мануильский, Михаил Захарович}} (1930–34)
* [[Mikhail Koltsov]] (1934–38)
* Yakov Rovinsky (1938–41)
* [[Lazar Lagin]] (1938–41)
* Grigory Ryklin (1941–48)
* Dmitry Belyaev (1948–53)
* Sergei Shvetsov (1953–58)
* Manuil Semyonov (1958–75)
* Evgeny Dubrovin (1975–85)
* Alexey Pyanov (1986–2000)
* Emil Bondarenko (since 2017)

==See also==
* ''[[Molla Nasraddin (magazine)|Molla Nasraddin]]'',  an [[Azerbaijan]]i satirical periodical published in the early 20th century.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* John Etty, ''Graphic Satire in the Soviet Union: Krokodil's Political Cartoons'', University Press of Mississippi, 2019, {{ISBN|978-1496821089}}
* Marian Pehowski, [https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED127608.pdf "Krokodil" Magazine: Laughter in the Soviet Union], July 1976, eric.ed.gov
* Paul Roth, [https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle/document/4433 Die Karikatur in Rußland in spätsowjetischer und nachsowjetischer Zeit (1985-1995)] (Sonderveröffentlichung / BIOst, April 1996). Köln: Bundesinstitut für ostwissenschaftliche und internationale Studien.

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Krokodil}}
* [https://croco.uno/ Archive 1922-2008] at croco.uno
* [http://journal-club.ru/?q=image/tid/72 Archive 1935-1991] at journal-club.ru
* [http://propagandahistory.ru/743/Istoriya-zhurnala-Krokodil/ Krokodil] at propagandahistory.ru
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Krokodil-Soviet-magazine Krokodil] at britannica.com

[[Category:1922 establishments in Russia]]
[[Category:2006 disestablishments in Russia]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1922]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 2008]]
[[Category:Magazines published in Moscow]]
[[Category:Satirical magazines published in Russia]]
[[Category:Russian humour]]
[[Category:Magazines published in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Defunct Russian-language magazines]]