The closing ceremony of the Olympic Games took place in Moscow on August 3, 1980. It was on it that the Bear, the famous symbol of the 1980 Olympics, which took place in the USSR, was launched into the sky.
Many people sobbed loudly during his flight, and the action was accompanied by a soulful song performed by Tatyana Antsiferova and Lev Leshchenko. All this took place at the Luzhniki stadium, Muscovites and guests of the USSR saw off Mishka on his flight.
How the Bear was created
The creation of the sensational Olympic Bear began back in 1977. First, the country conducted a survey among the population, what should the symbol of the Olympics be in 1980? With the help of the newspaper Soviet sport" and the program "In the Animal World" collected information and found out that almost everyone expressed a desire for the Teddy Bear to become the symbol of the Olympics.
After the image was approved, the organizers placed orders from the best Soviet artists. The final version was developed by Viktor Chizhikov - at that time he drew pictures for children's books. It was his version that made it to the finals and was selected among 60 other proposed bears. The Moscow Olympics Committee, like the Soviet people, preferred this animal as a symbol, since at that time it personified courage, strength and perseverance.
By the beginning of the Olympic Games, a six-meter rubber Teddy Bear was created. At first they thought of making it at a research institute in Moscow, but due to its large dimensions it was impossible. Therefore, they decided to transfer the production process to one of the branches of the institute, which was located in Sergiev Posad. Just in case, we decided to make two copies.
Who is Viktor Chizhikov?
In 1935, Soviet artist Viktor Chizhikov was born. His parents were architects. The boy, as a young man, loved to draw. Already as a high school student, he worked part-time as a cartoonist for the publication Housing Worker. After graduating from school, the guy decided to get an education at a printing institute. With student status, he began working for Krokodil, a magazine that was famous for its satire. Then Victor began collaborating with major publications: “Pionerskaya Pravda”, “Ogonyok”, “Young Naturalist”. In addition, he illustrated books by Chukovsky, Nosov, Mikhalkov, Barto and Marshak.
Royalty
Many people are interested in how Viktor Chizhikov was awarded. In fact, by today's standards it is quite meager - 1300 rubles. This amount is approximately ten times the USSR average salary, but if you take into account how many toys and souvenirs were sold, and that this image is still used to this day, then this amount can rightly be called meager. The artist did not receive any royalties because he did not draw up all kinds of contracts and documents.
Teddy bear
The idea of the Olympic organizers was that Mishka was supposed to fly high, high into the sky during the closing ceremony. And already in April 1979, work began. The project began to be developed at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute in the city of Zhukovsky. Researchers and scientists were given a task: the Olympic Bear must fly up, stay for a while at a height of 3.5 meters from the edge of the upper stand, and then leave the stadium as quickly as possible. At the same time, it was important that Mishka did not touch the Olympic flame, because it could turn out to be a real tragedy and shame before guests and citizens of the USSR.
Work on the Bear project and a terrible tragedy during testing
Alexander Trusov, an engineer, suggested using not a doll, but dressing a real person in a Bear costume, then tying him to balloons that are inflated with helium. The first tests took place at the Kubinka-2 airfield, which is located in the Moscow region. Alexander himself decided to wear the suit for the test. It was made at the Ukrainian toy factory in Zheltye Vody. The first test was very successful. After this, they decided to recreate conditions that were close to the future: twilight and a rise of thirty meters. But this time everything didn't go according to plan. The bear flew 50 meters and then went out of sight with great speed.
After the incident, engineers came up with a system of “carrying balls” that would help deal with this problem. What's the point? As they moved, the balls shifted Mishka’s center of gravity in such a way that it was possible to control its speed and direction. The flight had to be controlled by an operator in the cockpit, which was located in the lower right hand. However, great grief occurred during the trial. The bear lost direction and flew straight towards the Olympic flame, where it burst into flames.
Igor Artamonov, an engineer who was in the cabin, died from multiple burns. After this incident, in order to prevent Bear from turning over, it was decided to attach the balls to the ears and upper paws.
Where did the Olympic Bear land after launch?
There is no exact information about what happened to Mishka after he was launched into the sky on the evening of August 1980. He simply left Luzhniki and went high into the sky. In addition, now no one can say for sure whether he was a doll with balls or a manned object.
Many people have described the Olympic Bear as a very charming and humane mascot. He was much cuter than the monotonous bears, who did not have any charm, but looked insensitive and even slightly aggressive.
In addition, at that time many said that the history of the creation and fate of the bear were characteristic of the eighties. He took off into the sky to the soulful song of Dobronravov and Pakhmutova. Even the most insensitive people at that moment had tears in their eyes. More than two billion people across the planet watched the closing of the Olympic Games.
For a long time, no one could imagine what happened to this Mishka. One evidence says that he fell onto a beer booth, which was located on the outskirts of Moscow; this unexpected appearance greatly frightened two adult men who did not expect it. Naturally, Mishka was found and taken away, and then exhibited at VDNKh along with other achievements of the Soviet people. By the way, one German company wanted to buy the symbol of the 1980 Olympics for one hundred thousand marks. However, the people who made these proposals did not know that Russians are a proud people. Naturally they were refused. True, Mishka later “moved” to the basement of the Olympic Committee, and there he remained until the rats chewed him up.
When the symbol of the Summer Olympic Games flew away, more than two billion people from all over the world simply cried their eyes out. It's hard to believe, but their eyes were literally filled with tears the size of apples! Back then, no one could even think about where everyone’s favorite Olympic stadium would go. It is curious that versions of his “route” still differ.
Goodbye, our affectionate Misha!
According to one version, she took the Olympic bear to the outskirts of Moscow. There he allegedly knocked down a Soviet beer booth and greatly frightened passers-by. Another version says that a huge balloon in the form of the mascot of the Summer Olympic Games, held in 1980 in Moscow, left the stadium in Luzhniki, landing on the Vorobyovy (at that time - Lenin) Hills near Moscow University (today - MSU) .
National heritage
After landing, the fate of the symbol of the 1980 Olympics becomes more or less clear. After some time, the Olympic bear was installed in one of the pavilions of the VDNH metro station in Moscow. There he stood for some time along with other achievements of the “national economy”: the record-breaking cow and the monster-like Kirovets tractor.
This year Russia again hosted the Olympic Games. Only not summer ones, but winter ones. Everything went well high level, except for one incident: during the opening ceremony, one of the Olympic rings did not immediately open.
Failed deal
After some time, a commercial offer was received from a certain German company to buy a rubber Olympic bear. The fee for the rubber mascot of the 1980 Olympic Games was 100 thousand marks. But the sale and purchase transaction never took place. Soviet patriotism turned out to be higher than “commercial affairs”!
What happened to the Olympic bear?
When the export of the rubber symbol of the 1980 Olympics did not take place, the cultural heritage of the Soviet era was hidden in one of the basements of the USSR Olympic Committee. No one then could have imagined what would happen to everyone’s beloved “affectionate Misha”: he was simply chewed up by rats in the basement! Apparently, being “dinner” for rats is much more worthy than being exported abroad.
One of the current symbols of the 2014 Sochi Olympics is polar bear. It is curious that he was dubbed the grandson of that same Soviet Olympic bear.
No matter how ridiculous the fate of the Soviet bear was, he forever settled in the hearts of people of the older generation. As they say, he flew away, but promised to return!
One of the most touching moments of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 was the flight Olympic symbol. On August 3, to a song performed by Lev Leshchenko and Tatyana Antsiferova, all Luzhniki and television viewers saw off the flying Olympic Bear...
The history of the creation of the talisman
The history of creating the image of the Olympic Bear began in 1977, when a population survey was conducted in the country through the “In the Animal World” program and the editors of the “Soviet Sport” newspaper, where viewers were asked to choose the symbol of the Olympics. Almost unanimously, preference was given to the bear cub Misha. After the image of the mascot was approved, an order was placed with the best artists in the country. The final version was made by the illustrator of children's books - Viktor Aleksandrovich Chizhikov. His version among the 60 cubs that reached the finals was also liked by the IOC President of that time, Lord Kilanin. The organizing committee of the Moscow Olympics chose this animal as a symbol, since it has such qualities characteristic of an athlete as strength, perseverance and courage.
TO Olympic Games a six-meter rubber mascot was created - the Olympic Bear balloon. Initially, it was planned to be manufactured in Moscow at the Research Institute of the Rubber Industry, but due to the large dimensions of the Mishka, the manufacturing process was transferred to a branch of the institute located in Zagorsk (now Sergiev Posad). For testing and in case of unforeseen circumstances, two duplicates were made.
Project "Bear"
According to the organizers, the Olympic Bear was supposed to fly high into the sky during the closing ceremony. In April 1979, in the town of Zhukovsky near Moscow, work began on the “Bear” project at the Central Aero-Hydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI). A group of scientists was tasked with ensuring that the talisman rose into the air. The bear didn’t just have to fly vertically over the stadium. Having reached a certain height (3.5 m from the top edge of the stands), he had to leave the stadium as quickly as possible without touching the bowl with the Olympic flame.
At first, engineer Alexander Trusov suggested abandoning the doll and dressing the man in a bear costume, tying him to balloons inflated with helium. The test took place at the Kubinka-2 airfield near Moscow. Trusov himself went to the test and put on a suit (it was made at a fur toy factory in the Ukrainian city of Zhovti Vody) and went into flight. The first flight was successful, after which it was decided to conduct the next experiment in conditions as close as possible to the required ones: twilight, a rise of 30 meters (the height of the Luzhniki stands). But this time, at an altitude of one hundred meters, the Olympic Bear suddenly turned around, flew 50 meters, and then began to sharply go up, disappearing from sight.
After this, engineers developed a system of so-called “carrying balls”. Its essence was as follows: by moving in a certain way, the balls contributed to a shift in the center of gravity of the object (the Bear), which, in turn, made it possible to control the direction of flight with a sufficient degree of accuracy. By moving in a certain way, the balloons shifted the center of gravity of the object by the right side. The operator in the cockpit had to control the direction of the flight in his right hind paw. But while testing this option, the doll lost control, flew over the burning Olympic torch and burst into flames. Engineer Igor Artamonov, who was sitting in the cockpit, died from his burns. Then it was decided to attach the balls only to the upper paws and ears so that the bear would not roll over.
It is still not known for certain what happened to the Olympic Bear after he left the Luzhniki Arena on an August evening in 1980 and disappeared into the sky. Whether it was a manned vehicle or just a huge rubber doll with balloons, no one knows for sure.
“The Olympic Bear is a symbol of the Moscow Olympics. How much more charming and humane he was than the monotonously beautiful and purposeful poster “builders of communism”! And how the story of the birth of the Olympic mascot and his subsequent fate are characteristic of that time! When he flew away to Moscow sky to the touching song of Pakhmutova and Dobronravov, even the most inveterate cynics had tears in their eyes. Two billion people around the world watched the most moving closing ceremony in the history of the Olympics. And almost no one knew what happened next to such a cute Mishka. And he landed on the outskirts of Moscow, knocked down a beer booth, scaring two local “uncles” to death. Then it was exhibited for some time at VDNKh, next to other achievements of the Soviet national economy (record-breaking cows, the monster-like Kirovets tractor and the Olympic Mishka - there is something to be proud of the national economy!). At that time, one West German company offered to buy a rubber Teddy Bear for 100 thousand marks. Naive Germans! The Soviets have their own pride, which is not sold for despicable Deutschmarks! The bear from VDNKh was sent to one of the basements of the USSR Olympic Committee, where it stood until... it was eaten by rats."
Here is the story according to this version, briefly. For some reason, it doesn’t tell at all how the bear was later taken from the area of this boarding house, and as for those vacationers who saw it, their supposedly published memories on the Internet also look somehow strange and everything is cut off. [Or did they all also somehow mysteriously disappear later?! – K.R.]
As for the names mentioned (from Faber to Surov), there is no more information about these people on the Internet, except for links to the same article that the bear supposedly flew exactly like this and was developed by these very people. The circle, in short, closes each time.
[I am reminded of Father Brown’s famous statement from Chesterton’s stories: “Paradoxically, it is sometimes very difficult for a person to believe that zero plus zero plus zero plus zero actually equals zero.” – K.R.]
If someone else is still serious about everything they read, then I can say that on a number of servers the article about the same event ends differently. That Surov did not die, but only lost consciousness from overload... And when he woke up, he found himself lying in the snow, his bear was lying at a distance, and live bears from the taiga, which stretched right there, were already approaching the bear to sniff him.
Therefore, here, I think, we can put an end to part of the conversation about version number one.
Since, in fact, version number two (or, rather, it should be considered the first version) was just described in Soviet newspapers as a fact, and an electronic copy of this editorial is available on the Internet.
Soviet newspapers quite openly, in the editorial, the day after the closing of the Olympics, wrote that our dear bear, having left the stadium, flew over the Lenin Mountains and fell behind them, not so far away, on the territory of Moscow. After which it was picked up and placed in the pavilion at VDNKh, where it stands as a memory of our glorious Olympics. The bear flew the way balloons fly beautifully - it simply rose up on balloons and its own pumping, and then - by the will of the wind. Naturally, there was no pilot in it.
And by the way, footage of several dozen athletes quickly putting the bear on its feet and letting it go, untying the ropes with which it was tied so as not to fly away ahead of time, can also be seen on the Internet on copies of film footage from those years, in the “video” section. .
So it’s not very clear what else is here and who had to come up with it? And for what?
True, one might wonder: what if the balloon bear really flew somewhere very “wrong”? Let’s not seriously discuss the issue with foreign countries, but still, what kind of improper type of object could have fallen for this?
Here, they say, this is what happened - after all, a special helicopter with a sniper was lifted into the sky, and the sniper shot several balls with well-aimed shots, thanks to which the bear landed quickly enough, “correctly” and safely.
Well, well, why not. This version is mentioned on a couple of forums - that's all. So - neither prove nor disprove; nevertheless, it is probably possible. If “grandmother said”, then grandma is not the stupidest...
One way or another, according to the version that was described in Soviet newspapers, no casualties or special emergencies happened. Only, perhaps, the bear touched a beer stall and scared two citizens who were drinking beer there nearby. For some reason, this moment repeatedly appears on forums on the internet. Again, who knows.
And again, as you know, there is “folklore” and “family legends” that revolve around any historical event. As mentioned in another note, almost a dozen people claimed that it was near their house that a touching bear fell. Is this really that surprising? This is how we are, people, and sometimes we like to “pull” the story about a true event to one degree or another precisely in our own direction, as they say. Nothing really special.
And from one doctor I heard this: they say, the bear was shot down by air defense. To be honest, it was precisely this “sensation” that made me curious and turned to the topic on the Internet.
Well, and again it’s not so surprising - this is the law of gossip: someone will hear about the sniper on a helicopter, already mentioned by us, and will tell their friends about the air defense. And my friends may believe it.
A documentary film was also recently released about the flight of the bear, in particular, artist Viktor Chizhikov gave an interview there, who invented our bear that year and spoke in detail about the birth of this cute image and its “life” during the Olympics. And also about how the Soviet leadership then showed its downside in terms of royalties and copyright...
The film talked about the same thing: how a balloon bear flew over the Sparrow (or rather, then still Lenin) Mountains and fell behind them. They even showed approximately this “azimuth”.
However, if someone still wants to think differently regarding his flight, well, as Kierkegaard said, freedom of thought is the great and original freedom of man...
The bear was then stored at VDNKh for a long time, managed to “grow old” and be written off. Apparently, a remake copy was not made. But even now in the pavilions of the All-Russian Exhibition Center there are many smaller, various copies of the Russian Misha the athlete.
The fate of the aeronautical mascot of the 1980 Olympics is sad. And this despite the fact that images of triumph during the closing of the games in Moscow became the hallmark of the USSR for a decade. In order for the show to take place and the smiling cutie Misha to fly for fifteen minutes, many behind-the-scenes performers had to endure real pressure, and some even sacrificed life or health... Flying away “to his fairytale forest,” Misha took away many secrets from his life: information was immediately classified and the public still does not know all the details of this unusual case. |
It all started with a scandal. When the organizers of the show in Moscow came up with the idea of effectively ending the Olympics by launching the Bear mascot into the sky, Chairman of the USSR Sports Committee Marat Gramov harshly retorted: “Bears don’t fly. The idea of flying must be rejected!” Thus, the holiday ended up without an explosive summary...
Then the main director of the event, Joseph Tumanov, realizing the consequences of his action, went directly to the Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Mikhail Suslov and achieved his support. It is clear that relations with the bosses from the Sports Committee immediately worsened and they intensified checks on the preparations for the event.
And so the gas-containing shell of the 6-meter Mishka was built at the branch of the Scientific Research Institute of the Rubber Industry (NIIRP) in Zagorsk. Gluers from the balloon shop, together with specialists from the head institute, made two mascot figures from rubberized fabric. (for testing and so on, just in case).
Difficulties arose at the stage of creating at least some sane control system for this beast. And the flight path seems to be simple, but here’s how to do it all in exact accordance with the script, so that Misha’s figure slowly takes off from the field and, focusing on the upper edge of the stands, slowly flies above the audience at a height of 3.5 meters; and then, going up, “moved over” the bowl with the Olympic flame and melted out of sight - I had to sweat, feel administrative pressure, turn to various groups for help...
Robotics at that time was not yet as developed as it is today: it was not yet possible to make an obedient drone balloon. First, the organizers of the 80 Olympics set a task for the specialists of the Dolgoprudny Automation Design Bureau (in 1931-1940 it was the USSR Airship Construction Plant). The designers proposed a solution based on manipulating helium balls in Misha's paws and distributing ballast.
The first tests were carried out on the basis of the Aerohydrodynamic Institute - in the city of Zhukovsky.
The “bearish” aerodynamics of the device could not be controlled except with the help of a person.
And this idea of “steering” a bear from the inside was first presented by test engineer V. Trusov. When the moment of practice and truth came, it became clear that the control of the balls did not allow the pilot to maneuver during flight. Trusov, who took off at the Kubinka-2 airfield near Moscow in Misha’s fur outfit (this 6-meter shell-cover was urgently created at a fur toy factory in the town of Zheltye Vody), to whose paws many, many helium-filled balloons were tied, was never seen again. The device with the pilot went up like a candle... Some say it died, others said it landed somewhere and went abroad...
However, the 1980 Olympics were looming. But Misha is still not a flyer.
And so the inventor Yuri Maltsev proposed controlling Mishka by manipulating helium balloons in order to shift the center of gravity of the device from one side to the other, which made it possible to adhere to a given course. The special form of balloon was piloted again from the inside. The pilot sat in the right hind leg - in a special booth. However... no luck this time either. Talisman Misha lost control from the very first meters of flight, and when he flew over the improvised burning Olympic torch, he burst into flames and fell. Engineer Igor Artamonov, who piloted the vehicle, died from his burns.
The next option was born right during the analysis of the tragic flight.
Having secured helium balloons only on the upper legs and ears in order to maintain the balance of the apparatus, we finally managed to get along with Misha and make him fly exactly on course - to the “farewell” song of Pakhmutova and Dobronravov.
The stands wept with delight and overwhelming emotions. The footage from the chronicle, I believe, is memorable to many.
But where did the beast go after leaving Luzhniki? There are several versions due to lack of documents. Someone says: “fly away” to “your fairytale forest” no further than the Lenin Hills, where during landing the mascot playfully destroyed a beer stall and injured a couple of passers-by. And someone gives guarantees that the Moscow region in the area of the Vympel boarding house, on the shore of the Mozhaisk reservoir, received the remains of a special-shaped balloon. To land the flying squirrel Misha, test pilot Ruslan Surov apparently began to bleed helium through the valves, but a gust of strong wind carried by the balloon brought the “weakening” structure to the ground. The pilot, they say, died, and Misha’s special uniform turned into trash. Information about the mystery of that flight was somehow immediately classified and kept silent...
For those who, after the 1980 Olympics, had a chance to see Mishka in the VDNH “Young Technician” pavilion, we inform you: a clone was on display. But Mishka, who actually made the flight (or rather, what was left of him), they say, was either burned, or put away in the basements of some VDNKh pavilion, where he was treated by rats. ...In short, even 28 years after the 1980 Olympics, there is no rush to tell the public about the actual events of the summer of 1980. ...
Why is that so?
Doc. film about "Misha" (27 min.).
The material is compiled on the basis of selected information (from publications
