Lenticular (stereo-vario) pocket calendar, 1985 — Soviet export for the Cuban (Spanish-language) market

Object/Artifact

-

Archive of Cuban Socialism

Name/Title

Lenticular ("stereo-vario") pocket calendar, 1985 — Soviet export for the Cuban (Spanish-language) market

Entry/Object ID

2025.11.33

Description

Small rectangular lenticular pocket-calendar card with rounded corners and a finely ribbed lens surface. The picture side carries an interlaced ("flip") color illustration that alternates between two children's fairy-tale scenes depending on viewing angle: (1) a wide-eyed child in a pointed pixie/gnome cap amid toadstools and foliage, with a small cursive Cyrillic word worked into the artwork; (2) a fluffy big-eyed kitten beside a duck among pond reeds, with a small dark animal peering from a burrow at the rear. The reverse carries a printed 1985 calendar: twelve months in Spanish (enero–diciembre) in four rows of three, weekday columns lettered L M M J V S D (lunes–domingo, week beginning Monday), with Sundays/holidays in red, all within a dotted diamond border.

Acquisition

Accession

2025.11

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Made/Created

Manufacturer

VBPK

Date made

1984

Time Period

1980s

Place

Country

U.S.S.R.

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Notes

Picture side — a small cursive Cyrillic word within the gnome scene (artwork element; reading uncertain). Reverse — "© Hecho en la URSS · VBPK" and "1985" (red); full Spanish monthly grid with L M M J V S D weekday initials.

Materials

Material Notes

Materials: Lithographically printed paper/card laminated to a ribbed plastic (acrylic) lenticular lens sheet; verso offset-printed in black and red on the paper backing. Technique: Lenticular ("stereo-vario"/переливной) flip printing on the obverse; two-color (black and red) offset lithography for the calendar grid on the verso.

Condition

Overall Condition

Fair

Relationships

Related Places

Place

Country

U.S.S.R.

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Notes

production

Research Notes

Notes

Soviet stereo-vario lenticular calendars were widely collected in the USSR through the 1970s–80s and frequently carried cartoon and fairy-tale characters. The kitten-and-duck scene resembles imagery from Soviet children's animation (the kitten-and-duckling pairing of "Котёнок по имени Гав" is one possibility) — source unconfirmed, offered only as a lead.

Notes

The Spanish-language imprint "Hecho en la URSS" paired with an all-Spanish calendar establishes this as a Soviet export novelty made for the Spanish-speaking (Cuban) market.

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

December 28, 2025

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 18, 2026