At the opening of the China Licensing Expo 2026 in Shanghai, the Russian delegation grandly launched an IP character based on the star resident of the Moscow Zoo and Russian internet celebrity—the Pallas's cat "Timofey." Although Timofey himself remains in Moscow, Chinese audiences met the cartoon character "Tusun Xiaomo" modeled after him, along with a series of collectible plush toys. Timofey's image has developed into an independent intellectual property (IP) that can be used to develop licensed merchandise, animation projects, and digital content. The "Moscow Culture" exhibition area was organized and curated by the Moscow Agency for Creative Industries under the Department of Culture of the Moscow City Government.
Timofey, the prototype for Tusun Xiaomo, rapidly gained popularity on Russian social media thanks to his charming appearance, fluffy soft fur, expressive facial expressions, and slightly introverted yet adorable demeanor. During the new character design process, the creative team retained the animal's most recognizable features: a round head, small ears, and unique facial expressions that give him a cute yet slightly indifferent look. The name "Xiaomo" aptly reflects the character's personality: he is reserved and cautious in making friends, but it is precisely this independence and unique shyness that make him more appealing.
Gulnara Agamova, General Director of the Moscow Agency for Creative Industries, stated: "We see huge promotional potential for the virtual image of Pallas's cat Timofey in China and other Asian countries. The China Licensing Expo not only provides us with a platform to showcase new characters to international audiences but also helps us find partners to jointly develop and produce licensed products. The plush toy series is an important first step towards this goal, proving that Russian cultural brands are fully capable of succeeding in the Chinese and Asian markets. We hope that 'Tusun Xiaomo' will become the foundation for future projects in animation, souvenirs, and digital content. At the same time, this character also aims to raise public awareness about wildlife conservation, especially for rare species."
In the Moscow exhibition area, visitors can experience the "Tusun Xiaomo" plush toy series for the first time. Four designs were specially created for the Chinese audience: holding a book, holding coffee, wearing headphones, and wearing a sleep mask. The core concept of the pendant series is: "One for you, and another for the person who can quietly accompany you without needing many words." Gifting the second Pallas's cat plush toy is intended to express affection to those truly cherished.
In addition to the expo floor, the public has the opportunity to get up close with this character on other occasions. On October 23, the Moscow Zoo will set up a one-day pop-up store at Wujiaochang Wanda Plaza in Shanghai. During the event, a series of plush toys will be displayed, featuring meet-and-greets with influencers, accessory DIY workshops, and lucky draws for fashionable bags.
The cooperation initiatives proposed by the Russian delegation this time go far beyond the Pallas's cat Timofey project. The Shanghai expo also showcased museum collections, historical and cultural heritage projects, animation characters, educational projects, and digital technology achievements. All these resources are viewed as the foundation for jointly developing new licensed products and cooperation projects with Chinese partners.
Zhao Xu, a member of the Expert Committee of the China International Cultural Exchange Center (CICEC), stated: "We attach great importance to our cooperation projects with Russia in the cultural and creative sectors. Chinese audiences have a strong interest in space-themed content, Russian folklore, decorative arts, and contemporary art. Based on these projects, we can develop souvenirs, educational products, interactive exhibitions, and digital content. Currently, Russian animation has entered the Chinese market: works from 'Soyuzmultfilm' are available on major mainstream video platforms, and the animated series 'Umka' has been broadcast on CCTV-14, the Children's Channel of China Central Television. We believe this is just the beginning of a long-term journey of cooperation between both sides."
This year, Moscow's participation in the China Licensing Expo doubled in scale, with museum projects and animation projects appearing on the same booth for the first time. The museum section consisted of the following institutions: the Moscow Planetarium, the Museum of Cosmonautics, the Moscow Zoo, the Timiryazev State Biological Museum, the Tsaritsyno State Museum-Reserve, and the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA). The animation section included Soyuzmultfilm, Aeroplan Company, 0+ Media Company, and Itsalive Studio.
Each participating party provides its own intellectual property resources for the development of souvenirs, educational materials, interactive content, and digital products.
The main goal of the participating parties is to shift from one-off international displays to the regular launch of Russian licensed products in China. To achieve this, it is necessary to find local partners, finalize terms for IP usage, organize production, and determine sales channels. The preliminary agreements reached in Shanghai are expected to lay the foundation for long-term cooperation.
The China Licensing Expo 2026 gathered approximately 620 exhibitors, showcasing over 2,700 intellectual property projects. The expo was held from October 21 to 23 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).
References
Moscow Agency for Creative Industries under the Department of Culture of Moscow
Established to promote the development of Moscow's creative industries. Core tasks include creating a favorable development environment, supporting fields such as design, contemporary art, gaming, and publishing; promoting creative products to international markets; and shaping Moscow's image as a global center for creative industries.
Department of Culture of Moscow
Responsible for building the city's cultural ecosystem, providing diverse leisure options for citizens and tourists, supporting youth artistic creation, incubating creative projects, and building supporting infrastructure for international film and television projects. It oversees more than 1,000 institutions: theaters, museums, cultural centers, film clusters, performance groups, children's art schools, libraries, city parks, and nature reserves, including the Lenkom Theatre, Pushkin Theatre, Sovremennik Theatre, Gorky Park, Sokolniki Park, Moscow Zoo, Moscow Circus, Planetarium, and Moscow Concert Hall.
Moscow Zoo (Established in 1864)
Russia's first zoo, opened on February 12, 1864 (New Style) at Presnensky Ponds, is now a modern ecological science center. The zoo's mission is to protect species diversity and ensure animal welfare. This year, the Moscow Zoo broke a global record by exhibiting 1,253 animal species, more than half of which are rare species listed in the International and Russian Red Data Books. The park participates in multiple species conservation projects: Amur tigers, giant pandas, Far Eastern leopards, Pallas's cats, Russian desmans, Dalmatian pelicans, polar bears, and others.
Museum of Cosmonautics
The Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow is one of the largest science and technology museums in Russia. The museum originated in 1964 with the unveiling of the "Conquerors of Space" memorial monument. It currently ranks among the top three most-visited museums under the Department of Culture of Moscow. The permanent exhibition is divided into 8 halls, with a collection of over 110,000 items, including actual rocket and space equipment, artifacts, archives, philatelic items, numismatics, arts and crafts, as well as oil paintings and sketches.
Moscow Planetarium
Russia's first planetarium and one of the most advanced planetariums globally, celebrating its 95th anniversary in 2024. It boasts the largest dome screen in Europe: 25 meters in diameter and 1,000 square meters in area. It receives approximately 1 million citizens and tourists annually. The planetarium is a top global producer of dome films, with its in-house studio having produced 5 dome movies and 3 widescreen films, winning numerous awards at international dome film festivals.
Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA)
Russia's first state museum dedicated to displaying 20th–21st century art, with a collection comprising both Russian and international works. Founded by Zurab Tsereteli, President of the Russian Academy of Arts, it officially opened to the public on December 15, 1999. The collection includes over 12,000 items, covering avant-garde art, socialist realism, non-conformist art, academic art, outsider art, and contemporary artistic creations. The museum has 7 venues, 6 of which are located in the historical core of Moscow.
Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve
A large museum-reserve in Moscow, covering over 800 hectares. Natural landscapes blend with 18th-century palace architecture designed by Vasily Bazhenov and Matvey Kazakov, originally serving as Catherine the Great's royal country residence. Today, it is also a popular leisure destination for Muscovites and tourists, featuring ancient palaces, greenhouses, fountains, and apple orchards. The museum regularly hosts concerts, festivals, special exhibitions, and science education activities.
Timiryazev State Biological Museum
A historic biological museum in Russia, named after the distinguished Russian plant physiologist Timiryazev, founded in 1922. The collection tells the story of the diversity of life on Earth, the mysteries of morphology and physiology, biological evolution, and humanity's place in nature. The exhibition combines biological specimens, artworks, and interactive installations, making it a popular science venue in Moscow loved by families with children.
ITSALIVE
A Russian 3D animation studio and IT R&D enterprise deeply engaged in the intersection of computer graphics and artificial intelligence. It creates mascots, virtual ambassadors, and digital avatars deployed across various media platforms: advertising shorts, augmented reality, outdoor digital screens, and holographic installations. The studio possesses full-process production capabilities and has created over 100 characters for leading Russian brands, including Sberbank, VK, the State Public Services Portal, MegaFon, M.Video, and Skyeng. ITSALIVE is a resident of the Skolkovo Innovation Center and is listed among Russia's certified IT companies. It licenses its own IP projects externally: "Origins"—a dark fantasy theme based on Slavic mythology; "Spryusi Bedtime Stories"—a healing animation for toddlers aged 0–3; and "First Flight"—an interactive visual novel about humanity's first space flight.
0+ Media
A leading Russian operator of children's and family IP licensing, affiliated with the Digital Television Group. It manages a matrix of over 20 popular animation IPs, including "Be-be-bears," "The Fixies," "Leo and Tig," and "Prostokvashino." Its business covers copyright sales, cartoon channels, Mama channel, animation music channels, Ani channel, advertising and sponsorship, operating digital projects, and hosting the animated family festival "Animatsionny Mir Festival."
Soyuzmultfilm
A major Russian animation media group established in 1936, producing over 20 hours of animated works annually, including series, feature films, and shorts. Its works have won more than 800 domestic and international awards, with Yuri Norstein's "Hedgehog in the Fog" being voted the best animated short film in history. The studio continues to operate classic IPs ("Nu, Pogodi!", "Umka", "Prostokvashino") while developing new original series. China is its core strategic partner: Soyuzmultfilm works are available on mainstream domestic video platforms such as Tencent Video, iQIYI, and Youku; the animation "Umka" premiered on CCTV-14, the Children's Channel, in August 2025.
Aeroplan Animation Studio
A leading enterprise in the Russian animation industry, established in 2007, specializing in 2D and 3D animation. It provides full-process production for animated series, theatrical feature films, music videos, and commercials. Utilizing cutting-edge international animation, VR, and special effects technologies, it is equipped with its own recording studios.