Uncle Fyodor, the Dog and the Cat. Drawings by G. Kalinovsky

A boy nicknamed Uncle Fyodor was depicted by many artists, and he always turned out to be a positive, serious preschooler. The dog and the cat, despite their fur, ears, and tails, resembled humans and even walked on their hind legs. The artist Gennady Kalinovsky portrayed completely different characters: Uncle Fyodor is a little boy with mustache growing early; cat Matroskin is a real cat, with the typical facial expressions and movements of cats, and Sharik is a simple village dog of an unassuming breed. For some reason, these characters are incredibly appealing with their caricatured appearance. Probably because the artist captured the brightest features of the beloved characters of Eduard Uspensky.