The first two works with Gaidai, "Dog Barbos and Unusual Cross" and later "Bootleggers" (Russian: "Samogonchiki" or "The Moonshine Makers", 1961), were also where Nikulin was featured as a character named Fool in The Three Stooges-like trio, along with Georgy Vitsin as Coward and Yevgeny Morgunov as Pro. In former Soviet republics he is particularly well known for his role in popular film series about the criminal trio. The series included such films as "Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures" and "Kidnapping Caucassian Style".