The history of Soviet humourous portrait began in 1920-1930s. The most famous were N. Radlov, B. Antonovsky, and B. Malakhovsky. M. Kupriyanov's ( one of Kukriniksi) graduate work was a caricature album of people of art.

In 1930 in "Literaturnaya Gazeta" ("Literary Newspaper") Kukriniksi published a caricature of some writers (L. Leonov, V. Lugovskoy, and some others). They presented constellations. Thus, V. Mayakovsky and N. Aseev looked like Great Bear. During their long creative life those artists paid tribute to humorous portraits. Their humorous portraits of J. Effel, H. Bidsrup, M. Cheremnikh, and some other their colleagues are interesting, indeed.

After the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) the meetings of Moscow writers were usually held in the House of Arts. The artists and satiric poets used to make a humorous newspaper for every meeting. One of the regular authors of caricatures was I. Igin. He appeared to be the most fruitful Soviet caricaturist. His models were writers (M. Zotshenko, Y. Olesha, A. Kruchyonikh, P. Bazhov), film producers (M. Romm, S. Gerasimov), artists (Y. Vasnetsov, F. Reshetnikov, N. Altman), theatrical people(M.Tarkhanov, S. Mikhoels, N. Cherkasov), variety actors (L. Mironov, L. Utesov), and the caricaturists (D. Moor, Kukriniksi). Some collections of his caricatures were published. They were extremely popular not only because of caricatures, but the author appeared to be gifted as a story-teller and all caricatures were accompanied with witty commentaries of the artist. Satiric poets S. Mikhalkov and S. Marshak wrote epigrams to accompany Igin's caricatures.

"Krokodil" has always published humorous portraits. For some holidays and jubilees the magazine usually published funny compositions where famous writers, musicians, and artists were friendly ridiculed.

T.Macaulay used to say that there is no more destroying force than to ridicule people. The tradition of Soviet humorous portrait is attracted not to "destruction", on the contrary, to creation. There is hardly one of numerous "heroes" of Kukriniksi's humorous portraits was look offended or insulted.