What's the Sculpture in Front of HMV?

This bronze sculpture of the googly-eyed, flute-nosed Doo Doo commemorates its creator, Street Puppeteer Igor Fokin. Fokin moved to Harvard Square from Russia in 1993 and began performing a 15-minute marionette act that included Doo Doo, his favorite puppet. Fokin carved all the dozen or so puppets in his show, drawing on Russian folk stories to create new characters. Doo Doo was an original character; its name comes from Fokin’s pronounciation of “Toot Toot” in a deep, Russian-accented voice.

The marionette act soon became a favorite attraction in the Square, and Igor was selected to perform at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Unfortunately, the puppeteer died soon after of heart failure on September 21, 1996, three hours after his last performance. He was 36. His friends and acquaintances quickly created a fund in his name to assist his wife and three young children and a formed committee to look into te creation of a memorial. The committee decided to place a sculpture where Igor last performed and commissioned Russian sculptor Konstantin Simun for the job.

The sculpture of Doo Doo was paid in part by the The Fund for the Arts, The Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Harvard Square Business Association. It was unveiled in a ceremony attended by 250 people on September 22, 2001.