Wash N. Kleen

When I was a little girl, my mother used to read to me probably the most popular Russian poem for children called "Moidodyr", that could be translated as "Wash N. Kleen". This strange word was used as a name for a magical creature that looked like a live talking washstand.

The poem was about a little boy who didn't want to wash himself and didn't like to clean

his room. He was so dirty that all his toys, clothes, books, dishes and his other belongings

decided to run away from him. They all started running, jumping and flying around his room,

trying to get him scared. Then all of a sudden, Wash N. Kleen appeared from the boy's mother's

bedroom. He was very angry with the boy and was yelling and screaming at him. He said it was

a shame to be so dirty like a little piglet. Wash N. Kleen claimed that he had a power over the all

washstands, soap bars and sponges. He called them over to wash the boy and to give him a good

lesson.