According to an article in the Hollywood Reporter, the Russian animated series Smeshariki will begin airing in the US on TheCW4Kids block. This pick-up marks the first time a Russian animated series has been sold into the US market. It was announced this summer by 4Kids Entertainment, who fill the CW animation block, that they were representing the property, which currently sees 5.5 million viewers each broadcast. Broadcasts on The CW start in November.

Andrew Dickman, a storyboard artist in Burbank, California, recently pointed me to a Flash-animated series out of Russia called ‘Smeshariki.’

In a 2003 article in the St. Petersburg Times, the show’s PR Manager said:

…the cartoons are produced in the best classical traditions of Russian animation with the use of a modern information technology called Flash.

‘Modern Information Technology.’ Brilliant!

The show’s website claims the show is “the first large-scale Russian animated serial for children of pre-school and elementary-school age,” and they’ve completed a total of 208 episodes.

From what I can tell, the series wrapped production in 2004.