Little Blue Light (in Russian, Голубой огонёк, Goluboy ogonyok) was a popular musical variety program broadcast on Soviet television from 1962 during the different holidays. The name alludes to the reflection of the blue light of a television screen, as well as some of the traditional expressions of Russia in relation to friendly visits: заглянуть на огонек (zaglyanut na ogonyok) - "to visit a light", i. and. to visit someone after seeing a light in his window; посидеть у огонька (posidyet 'or ogon'ka) - to have a sitting by the fire. The show featured popular artists and diverse personalities in the Soviet Union: udarniks, Heroes of Socialist Labor, cosmonauts, etc., who sat next to the tables in a "television cafe", singing songs, playing sketches, boasting, celebrating the holidays. The idea of the show was to "drop in a light" to each Soviet family to share the festive table beyond the glass of the television.
The best known was the New Year's Little Blue Light (in Russian, Новогодний Голубой огонек, Novogodniy Goluboy ogonyok), issued on the eve of each New Year as part of the Soviet tradition in the afternoon: Little Blue Light followed to the New Year's speech by the Secretary General of the Communist Party with congratulations to the Soviet people, which was, in turn, preceded by the 1975 film Irony of Fate.
Little Blue Light was conceived by film director Aleksey Gabrilovich, and the first show aired on April 6, 1962 as a Saturday broadcast weekly. After some time it became a monthly show, and was later broadcasted only on major holidays.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Little Blue Light was re-established in Russia. The "Little Blue Light" brand is now owned by the Rossiya television network.
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