Vasya Pupkin

Information about the appearance of this meme, as a separate concept, is still unknown, but in 1986 such a surname was already mentioned in a USSR theater scene, meaning same way as now - a certain abstract personality, to which, in turn, there is a deliberately negative attitude.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFdZAAAAMAAJ&q=вася+пупкин | title=Teatr | date=1986 | publisher=Iskusstvo. }}

In 1989, in the USSR, the meme was used to describe some abstract trader in an investment textbook, which, despite the excellent absolute result, "have everything is not so clear-cut" meaning it can be much worse than it looks at his business, that way frightening the reader with possible investment failure, which, in general, also corresponds to the recent definition.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CPuuEAAAQBAJ&dq=вася+пупкин&pg=PT47 | isbn=978-5-206-00158-7 | title=Портфель возможностей: Инвестируй, капитализируй, повтори | date=January 1989 | publisher=Alpina PRO }}

A similar negative, but much sharper, connotation of the meme, consisting in its direct semantic link to capitalism, describing Vasya Pupkin as a "standard factor of capitalism production", is also can be found in Russian artistic works of 1997.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZ85AQAAIAAJ&q=вася+пупкин | title=Ogonek | date=1997 | publisher=Izdatelʹstvo "Pravda." }}

Unrelated to capitalism, but still a negative connotation of the meme, aimed at defining an meme holder as "upstart"/"non-conformist", can be found at russian publications in the years of 1991{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WMsoAQAAIAAJ&q=вася+пупкин | title=Россияне | date=1991 | publisher=Молодая гвардия }} and 1998.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uo8XAQAAIAAJ&q=вася+пупкин | title=Stern | date=1998 | publisher=Gelikon pli͡us }}

However, at the same time - in 1992 and 1996 - the meme was used to describe exclusively an abstract personality without any negative connotations.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uo8XAQAAIAAJ&q=вася+пупкин | title=Stern | date=1998 | publisher=Gelikon pli͡us }}{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qffZAAAAMAAJ&q=вася+пупкин | title=Pulʹs | date=1996 | publisher=Molodai͡a gvardii͡a }}

In 2005 "Vasya Pupkin" phenomenon was heavily discussed at issue #97 of Novaya Gazeta{{cite web | url=http://old.novayagazeta.ru/data/2005/97/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409084602/http://old.novayagazeta.ru/data/2005/97/ | archive-date=9 April 2016 | title=Новая Газета | № 97 от 26 Декабря 2005 г. | СОДЕРЖАНИЕ }} including a comprehensive comparison with Putin ("VP vs VVP"):{{cite web | url=http://2005.novayagazeta.ru/nomer/2005/97n/n97n-s03.shtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060726140104/http://2005.novayagazeta.ru/nomer/2005/97n/n97n-s03.shtml | archive-date=26 July 2006 | title=Вп Против Ввп }}

• Russian sociologist {{ill|Alexey Levinson|ru|Левинсон, Алексей Георгиевич}} stated this name despite having similar to Putin popularity at the Russia assumed that the name still derogatory, as it's last name being a "the surname of a person who comes from the lowest social classes" and first name is "something common", "socially inferior to us", and mostly means a "loser", "a person uneducated and intellectually inferior to the one telling about", the "one who occupies a low social position", in other words means "personal slave". His colleague formulated that character like as person ideal for scapegoating.{{cite web | url=http://2005.novayagazeta.ru/nomer/2005/97n/n97n-s01.shtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060726140104/http://2005.novayagazeta.ru/nomer/2005/97n/n97n-s01.shtml | archive-date=26 July 2006 | title=Кто Вы, Мистер Пупкин? }}
• Other article there describes the meme character very vividly as "a small man with unsecured ambitions. And that means: a dangerous figure".{{cite web | url=http://old.novayagazeta.ru/data/2005/97/00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194000/http://old.novayagazeta.ru/data/2005/97/00.html | archive-date=4 March 2016 | title=Новая Газета | № 97 от 26 Декабря 2005 г. | ХУ ИЗ МИСТЕР ВАСЯ ПУПКИН }}

In 2006 it was used as naming example both of some abstract person and email ID at some manual.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ADSbAgAAQBAJ&q=vasya&pg=PA23 | title=Microsoft Outlook | isbn=978-5-457-53256-4 | last1=Топорков | first1=Сергей | date=29 January 2022 | publisher=Litres }}

In 2008-2009 russian philologist Lutovinova Olga Vasilevna along with {{ill|Shushpanchik|ru|Шушпанчик}} and Wugluskr ({{langx|ru|Вуглускр}}) described it as wide-spread internet meme.http://www.zpu-journal.ru/zpu/2008_2/Lutovinova.pdfhttps://www.linguamgou.ru/jour/article/view/1301

In 2015 it's last name was described as "the surname of an abstract sailor. As a rule, a stupid, nasty, cowardly person".{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cQEWCgAAQBAJ&q=%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%BF%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BD&pg=PA280 | title=Словарь морского жаргона | isbn=978-5-457-83733-1 | last1=Каланов | first1=Николай | date=2 July 2015 | publisher=Litres }}

In 2023 meme was briefly described by Eliot Borenstein as similar to John Doe or Joe Blow common for exclusively virtual use as a shorthand.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyp_EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT217 | title=Soviet Self-Hatred: The Secret Identities of Postsocialism in Contemporary Russia | isbn=978-1-5017-6989-4 | last1=Borenstein | first1=Eliot | date=15 June 2023 | publisher=Cornell University Press }}

• Bulă, a stock character in Romanian comedy, was voted the 51st among the 100 Greatest Romanians in 2006
• Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune novel, where's a similar character {{Nihongo|Vasha Pupkin|ヴァーシャパプキン|Bāsha Papukin}} have place

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Category:Placeholder names

Category:Russian words and phrases

Category:Fictional Russian people