“Field of Wonders”: The post-Soviet people’s show
A clip from the most-watched entertainment show of the 1990s, "Pole chudes [Field of Wonders],” featuring the post-Soviet “narod” (people) of regular folks engaged in a free-flowing relationship with both capitalism and Russia’s Central Television.
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“Politburo” versus the specter of communism during the 1993 Constitutional Crisis
A clip from “Politburo,” a weekly commentary show from Aleksandr Politkovsky, a former host of “Vzgliad.” This episode aired in the days following the April referendum that solidified Yeltsin’s position, and, in particular, follows People’s Deputy (and Yeltsin opponent) Alexander Rutskoy's first salvo in the so-called "Kompromat Wars," in which he made public 11 suitcases’ worth of material allegedly documenting Yeltsin's corruption. The episode ends with some May Day-themed anti-communist “chastushki” (Russian limericks).
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The View from the Other Side
LGBTQ activist Yaroslav “Slava” Mogutin’s response to another article on gay men in post-Soviet Russia (by Aelita Efimova) in the magazine Совершенно секретно.
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Primetime hypnotic tele-healing with Anatoly Kashpirovsky
Anatoly Kashpirovsky (1939-), a “psychic” authority on perestroika-era "new thinking," uses the power of suggestion to heal the Soviet people of ailments physical and spiritual.
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The logo for the "Dendy" Entertainment Console by Ivan Maximov.
The logo of an young, anthropomorphic elephant giving the victory sign with his left hand announced Russia''s first game console, which became enormously popular between 1992 and 1996.
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Cover for “Red Hogwash” [“Krasnaia Burda”], issue 1, October 1990 by G. Malyshev.
The first issue of Red Hogwash's cover depicts a man in the costume of the Statue of Liberty lighting a cigarette with the torch.
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