Cosmo was one of the first ‘astronauts’ to go into space and orbit the earth. Being a member of the space program of Russia (or the Soviet Union) she would be referred to as a cosmonaut, hence her rather ‘on the nose’ name.
However, Cosmo wasn’t ‘Cosmo’ until Marvel Comics decided to cameo her in the huge hit movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Before that, her actual name was Laika, a stray dog picked up off the streets of Moscow only to be summarily stuffed into the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that was launched into outer space on November 3rd, 1957. Where she died within hours from overheating.
So much for the glories and fame of space travel! Although she did get a monument dedicated to her on April 11th, 2008. So there’s that.
And now she is immortalized in plastic and paint in the form of Funko’s latest creation, this Dorbz vinyl collectible figure.
Want to see the real Cosmo/Laika?
She does look adorable! Do you suppose Dorbz stands for ‘adorable’? Only Funko, or someone more versed in that company’s culture, would know for sure!
You can see other characters that are available from Guardians on the side of the box above.
The letters CCCP (without the ‘Pup’ add-on) are an abbreviation for the full name of the Soviet Union in Russian (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) before 1991.
The head swivels as does the helmet. I was disappointed that the helmet didn’t have a face shield that would swivel down over the face of the character. Still awesome, though!
So not only did Russia have the first living thing in space, but also the first female. But not the first plastic replica!
FUN FACTS: Laika is the Russian term for several breeds of dogs. Its literal translation would be “Barker”, from the Russian verb “layat”, “to bark”. According to some accounts, the technicians actually renamed her from Kudryavka to Laika due to her loud barking.
FUN FACTS: Laika is believed to be a cross between a husky and a terrier. Cosmo is believed to be a cross between plastic and a polymer blend.
