Hogan 's Alley , a comic strip about a bald child in a yellow nightshirt ( nicknamed The Yellow Kid ) , became very popular when cartoonist Richard F. Outcault began drawing it in the World in early 1896 . Hogan 's Alley , a comic strip revolving around a bald child in a yellow nightshirt ( nicknamed The Yellow Kid ) , became exceptionally popular when cartoonist Richard F. Outcault began drawing it in the World in early 1896 .