MATRYOSHKA DOLL HISTORY

A matryoshka doll has some other names to it, such as: a Russian nested doll, stacking dolls, or Babushka dolls. It can be spelled as: matryoshka (Russian), matroska (Russian), or matroesjka (Belgian).

A matryoshka doll is a series of dolls of decreasing sizes places one inside another. "Matryoshka" is a smaller form for the Russian female first name "Matryona", which is traditionally associated with a robust, rustic Russian woman.

Traditionally the outermost doll is a woman, dressed in a sarafin (a sarafin is a traditional Russian long, shapeless jumper dress worn by wormen and girls) holding a rooster. Inside will be figures, possibly of both genders, usually ending with a baby, who does not open.

The artistry is in the painting of each doll, which can be extremely elaborate. 

You would think that matryoshka's are pretty old, when in actuality they are a relatively new type of Russian handicraft. The first one dates only back to 1890, and had been inspired by souvenir dolls from Japan. It is said that Sergei Maliutin, a painter from a folk crafts workshop in the Abramtsevo estate of a famous Russian industrialist and patron of the arts, saw a set of Japanese wooden dolls representing Shichi-fuku-jin, the Seven Gods of Fortune. Maliutin drew a sketch of a Russian version of the toy, and it was carved by Vasiliy Zvezdochkin in a toy workshop in Sergijev Posad and then painted by Sergei Maliutin. It consisted of eight dolls, with the outermost one being a girl in an apron, then the dolls alternated between boy and girl, with the innermost one being a baby.

In 1900 M.A. Mamontova, wife of the Russian industrialist, presented the dolls at the World Exhibition in Paris and the toy earned a bronze medal. Soon after other places in Russia had started making various styles of matryoshki.

There are several areas in Russia with notable matryoshka styles: Sergiyev Posad, Semyonov, Polkholvsky Maidan, and Kirov.

Matroyshkas have been used in present day pop culture in the following ways:

• Matryoshki appear during the credits of John le Carre's television miniseries Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
• An episode of The Amazing Race had the players looking for clues hidden among several thougsand matryoshkas
• The Higglytown Heroes characters are living matryoshkas
• Australian composer, Julian Cochran, wrote a Russian inspired composition titled, 'Wooden Dolls', about a group of matryoshkas communicating
• In the Toy Story movies, Andy has a martyoshka doll that represents animals.  ***

*** History was taken from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll.