There was also a layer of distinctly Russian humor that softened as the show became more international. The depiction of the Wolf

Why does this matter? Because the original Masha and the Bear told a more honest, more Russian truth: that life is hard, that the world is indifferent, and that the only way to survive is to be either strong enough to endure (the Bear) or too irrepressible to break (Masha). The new version tells a globalized, commodified lie: that chaos is always cute, that adults have infinite patience, and that every problem can be resolved in eleven minutes with a hug and a musical number.

The story begins with a young girl named Masha (a diminutive of Maria) who lives with her grandparents in a village near the forest. Unlike the modern cartoon where Masha is an unstoppable force of nature, the folktale Masha is depicted as a typical, somewhat naive child.