Gena is known as a friendly crocodile in the series of animation films Gena the Crocodile, Cheburashka and Shapoklyak by Roman Kachanov (Soyuzmultfilm studio). He debuted in the 1966 novel Gena the Crocodile and His Friends (ru) by Eduard Uspensky.[1] The crocodile's name is a typical diminutive of the Russian male name Gennady. Gena and Cheburashka, also a title character in the series, are best friends.