How "Dog Boy" Fedya Evtishchev became a circus star in the US (5 photos)

Just 100 years ago, "freak shows" and "human zoos" were very popular in the United States. They sought out people with physical abnormalities to perform for money. One of the most famous performers in this type of circus in the late 19th century was a boy named Fyodor Evtikhiev. He performed as a "dog boy" and was a huge success with audiences.





In the 1880s, audiences flocked to Barnum's popular show to see a strange performer. He was a teenager whose face was completely covered in thick, long hair. The master of ceremonies billed him as Yo-Yo—the dog-boy from Kostroma.



Guests were told that the child was born to a wild family living in a forest den. Hunters allegedly discovered the boy-dog and his father. They mistakenly shot the man, mistaking him for an animal, but managed to tame the child. Meanwhile, the young performer feigned aggression with all his might, running around the stage and growling at people in the audience. The audience squealed with delight, and many eagerly returned to the show multiple times.

The boy-dog's real name was Fedor Evtikhiev. He was born not in the forest, but in St. Petersburg. He and his father suffered from a rare genetic disorder called hypertrichosis. His face, and sometimes his body, were covered in thick hair, resembling animal fur. Fedor and his father were forced to tour fairs and earn a living by displaying themselves for the amusement of onlookers.





Fedor Evtikhiev with his father Adrian

This tour continued for several years until P. T. Barnum learned of the amazing family duo. The owner of a world-famous freak show found Fedor orphaned and in dire need. His father, Andrian Evtikhiev, had recently been abusing alcohol and died during one of his binges. So the 16-year-old eagerly agreed to go to work in distant America. In 1884, Fyodor Evtikhiev signed a contract with Barnum and departed overseas.

The Career of a "Dog Boy"

Phineas Barnum was a true professional. Although audiences eagerly came to see the outlandish people in his shows, he wasn't above lying, inflating interest in his performers with unusual stories. A case in point is the "biography" of Joyce Hett, one of his first circus performers. Barnum shamelessly lied that the elderly woman was 160 years old and that she had nursed the first US President, George Washington, as a child.



Phineas Barnum

To Barnum's credit, he treated his charges kindly and paid them very well. For many of them, working in the circus became the only way to lead a normal life and even make a small fortune. Fyodor Evtikhiev became one of the entrepreneur's favorites. He invented a story about a hole in the Kostroma forest for him to whet the public's appetite.

Fyodor Evtikhiev was a wild man from the woods only to the audience. Those who knew him well said the young man was well-mannered and spoke English and German. He would appear on stage in a soldier's uniform, specially tailored for him, from the army of one of the empires. He would growl menacingly and roll his eyes, and the master of ceremonies would invite those brave enough to come forward and get to know the "boy-dog" better.



His short stature, caused by genetic abnormalities, allowed Evtikhiev to perform as "boy" Yo-Yo for two decades. He toured the United States, Canada, and Mexico with Barnum's Circus. He also visited Europe. Unfortunately, this tour turned out to be Fedor's last. In 1904, in Thessaloniki, Greece, the artist caught a cold and developed pneumonia. Despite all medical efforts, Evtikhiev died.