Yoshie:
In the Soviet Union of the 1920s, the most prominent avant-garde artists were eager children's book illustrators. Reaching a mass audience of unformed, malleable young people appealed to their commitment to an art manifesto based on the creation of a new kind of person for the revolutionary age. At the same time, the opportunity to work for good pay along with a low risk of censorship were practical attractions.
-- I have a beautiful illustrated collection of Mayakovsky's children's poems that was published in the 60s. The illustrations were done by the poet himself; lots of kids in Young Pioneer uniforms going to the zoo and learning to use firearms to defend the country and whatnot. Actually Moscow has a great statue of Mayakovsky, appropriately enough by the metro station bearing his name. He is still wildly popular.
Most Soviet children's books were non-ideological though. A lot of the books and cartoons had a general social message, as in the cartoons about Big Policeman featuring, yes, a really, really big policeman with giant arms who helps children out of trees and cross traffic and whatnot. "Go to the policeman if you need help!"
Soviet animation was very nonviolent compared to its American counterpart; the wolf in "Nu, Pogodi!" falls down a lot, but nothing remotely like what you have in Tom and Jerry.
_________________________________________________________________ There are now three new levels of MSN Hotmail Extra Storage! Learn more. http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=hotmail/es2&ST=1