Tiger character to join Russian children's TV show is Putin's choice
Long-running TV show to feature tiger at suggestion of Russian leader
He's described as quick-tempered but loveable, and when Mur the Siberian tiger - or rather a computer-generated animation of him - joins the long-running children's television show Goodnight Little Ones, Russian children will have President Vladimir Putin to thank if he proves as popular as his puppet co-stars.
The show's producer, Alexander Mitroshenkov, said on Monday that while a wolf, a monkey, a giraffe or a horse had all been under discussion since the show announced last month that it would introduce a new character to mark its 50th anniversary, the creators settled on a tiger after "our president suggested the idea for the new hero".
The character was announced by Mitroshenkov at a press conference that featured pictures, a plush toy prototype and a live Siberian, or Amur, tiger cub.
Mur will be from the same magic forest as the show's other characters, including a piglet, a dog and a hare, but unlike these puppets he will be a computer-generated animation. He will raise the issue of environmental conservation and travel into space during his first year on the programme, the show's creators said.
It was befitting his image as a macho outdoorsman and animal-lover that Putin picked a Siberian tiger.
The Russian president is known as a fan of exotic predators, most recently releasing two tigers into the wild in Russia's far east in May and climbing into a cage to snuggle a snow leopard before the Winter Olympics in Sochi.