Probably each of you guys have your favorite toy. Or maybe even two or five.

For example, when I was little, I had three favorite toys: a huge rubber crocodile named Gena, a small plastic doll Galya and a clumsy plush animal with a strange name - Cheburashka.

Cheburashka was made in a toy factory, but they did it so badly that it was impossible to tell who he was: a hare, a dog, a cat, or even an Australian kangaroo? His eyes were large and yellow, like those of an owl, his head was round, like a hare, and his tail was short and fluffy, such as is usually the case with small cubs.

My parents claimed that Cheburashka is an animal unknown to science that lives in hot tropical forests.

At first I was very afraid of this Cheburashka, unknown to science, and did not even want to stay in the same room with him. But gradually I got used to his strange appearance, became friends with him and began to love him no less than the rubber crocodile Gena and the plastic doll Galya.

A lot of time has passed since then, but I still remember my little friends and I wrote a whole book about them.

Of course, in the book they will be alive, not toys.

CHAPTER FIRST

In one dense tropical forest there lived and there was a very funny animal. His name was Cheburashka. Or rather, at first he was not called anything while he lived in his rainforest. And they called him Cheburashka later, when he left the forest and met people. After all, it is people who give names to animals. They told the elephant that he was an elephant, the giraffe that he was a giraffe, and the hare that he was a hare.

But the elephant, if he thought, could guess that he was an elephant. After all, he has a very simple name! And what about a beast with such a complex name as a hippopotamus? Go and guess that you are not a hypothet, not a hypothet, but a hip-po-po-there.

So here is our animal; he never thought about what his name was, but simply lived for himself and lived in a distant tropical forest.

One day he woke up early in the morning, put his paws behind his back and went for a little walk and get some fresh air.

He walked for himself, walked, and suddenly near a large orchard he saw several boxes of oranges. Without hesitation, Cheburashka climbed into one of them and began to have breakfast. He ate two whole oranges and ate so much that it became difficult for him to move around. So he went straight to the fruit and went to bed.

Cheburashka slept soundly, he, of course, did not hear how the workers approached and nailed all the boxes.

After that, the oranges, along with Cheburashka, were loaded onto a ship and sent on a long journey.

The boxes floated on the seas and oceans for a long time and eventually ended up in a fruit shop in a very large city. When they were opened, there were almost no oranges in one, and there was only a fat, fat Cheburashka.

The sellers pulled Cheburashka out of his cabin and put him on the table. But Cheburashka could not sit on the table: he spent too much time in the box, and his paws were numb. He sat, sat, looked around, and then he took it and cheburahnulsya from the table to the chair. But he did not sit on a chair for a long time - he cheburahnulsya again. On the floor.

Fu-you, Cheburashka what! - said the store manager about him. - Can't sit still!

So our animal found out that his name is Cheburashka.

But what should I do with you? the director asked. - Do not sell you instead of oranges?

I don’t know, Cheburashka answered. - Do as you wish.

The director had to take Cheburashka under his arm and take him to the main city zoo.

But Cheburashka was not accepted to the zoo. First, the zoo was packed. And secondly, Cheburashka turned out to be a beast completely unknown to science. No one knew where to place it: either with hares, or with tigers, or even with sea turtles.

Then the director again took Cheburashka under his arm and went to his distant relative, also the director of the store. This store sells discounted items.

Well, - said director number two, - I like this beast. It looks like a broken toy! I'll take him to work with me. Will you come to me?

I'll go, - Cheburashka answered. - What should I do?

It will be necessary to stand in the window and attract the attention of passers-by. It's clear?

Understandable, - said the animal. - Where will I live?

Live? .. Yes, even here! - The director showed Cheburashka an old telephone booth that stood at the entrance to the store. - This will be your home!

So Cheburashka stayed to work in this big store and live in this small house. Of course, this house was not the best in the city. But on the other hand, Cheburashka always had a pay phone at hand, and he could call anyone he wanted without leaving his own house.

True, while he had no one to call, but this did not upset him at all.

CHAPTER TWO

In the city where Cheburashka ended up, there lived a crocodile named Gena. Every morning he woke up in his small apartment, washed himself, had breakfast and went to work at the zoo. And he worked at the zoo ... as a crocodile.

Arriving at the place, he undressed, hung a suit, hat and cane on a carnation, and lay down in the sun by the pool. On his cage hung a sign that read:

African crocodile Gena.

Age fifty.

Feeding and petting is allowed.

When the working day ended, Gena dressed carefully and walked home to his small apartment. At home he read the papers, smoked his pipe, and played tic-tac-toe with himself all evening.

Once, when he lost forty games to himself in a row, he became very, very sad.

“Why am I always alone? he thought. “I need to make some friends.”

And, taking a pencil, he wrote this announcement:

YOUNG CRACODILE FIFTY YEARS OLD

WANTS TO ENVY YOUR FRIENDS.