Chinese Origins

While the modern day nesting doll is most popularly associated with Russia, the first nesting dolls actually came from China.  The Chinese crafted nesting boxes that date back to the Song Dynasty, around 1000 AD.  These boxes were both functional and decorative. Sometime during the 1700s they applied this concept to a set of dolls and the first nesting doll was born.

Chinese nesting dolls are similar to the nesting dolls that are common today.  In the original Chinese sets the smallest doll held a single grain of rice.

image found on the Hidden Treasures of Famen Si

The above image is actually as set of nested caskets.  I am having a hard time finding images of traditional Chinese nesting boxes or the original Chinese nesting dolls.  Does anyone have any good resources?

Nesting Dolls in Japan

Soon after nesting dolls originated in China they made their way to Japan.  Japanese wooden dolls were made to look like the Seven Lucky Gods from Japanese mythology.  The outer most doll was Fukurokuju the Japanese god of happiness and longevity.  He had an abnormally long forehead, like in the doll below.

images found on:  Ingrid’s Nesting Doll Page (left),  MamaZakka (right)

It seems logical that the nesting doll concept would take off in Japan as they already had a tradition in similar dolls.  Like nesting dolls, kokeshi dolls and daruma dolls do not have arms or legs.  Both kokeshi and daruma dolls are hand painted with decorative bodies and simplified facial features.

images found on:  Curiosities of Japan (left), Blogadilla (right)

Daruma dolls are modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism.  Daruma dolls originated in the city of Takasaki, around the mid 1760s.  They are a hollow Papier-mâché doll and often have a wooden mold to create their shape.

images found on:  Vintage Goodness (top left), The Jasper (top & bottom right), Etsy (bottom left)

Kokeshi dolls originated in Northern Japan during the Edo period (1600-1868).  Kokeshi dolls are hand made of wood and have decorative painting.  Many Kokeshi dolls, are made also made as a nesting dolls.

How the Nesting Doll Came to Russia

Some stories say the earliest set of Japanese nesting dolls were actually made by a Russian monk. Whether this is true or not, the nesting dolls made their way to Russia in the early 1890s when Savva Mamontov discovered a set.  Mamontov was a wealthy supporter of the arts and wanted to revive Russian folk art.   One of his artists, Sergei Maliutin created the first Russian set with the help of Vassily Zviozdochkin.   Their concept was to turn the nesting dolls into a symbol of Russia.

image found here

The nesting dolls that inspired Mamontov and Maliutin would have been similar to the set above.

image found on Wikipedia

Above is the original set of nesting dolls by Maliutin.  These dolls can still be seen at the Sergiev Posad Museum of Toys in Zagorsk, Russia.

images found on: Yahoo (top left), Clementine (top middle), About.com (top right), Children of the World (center left), Little Gypsies (center right),  StyleHive (bottom row)

The above are done in style of more traditional Russian style.  Russian nesting dolls go by many names, Matryoshka (and many variations of that name), Russian Nesting Dolls, Stacking dolls, and sometimes babushka dolls, though there are arguments that this is not actually a name for the dolls. Matryoshka comes from Matryona, a popular Russian name at the time.  Traditional dolls are meant to look like a Russian women in traditional Russian dress.

Throughout Eastern Europe

In 1900 Mamontov wife presented the first Russian nesting dolls at the World Exhibition in Paris.  Soon after nesting dolls were being made throughout Russia and the surrounding regions.  Nesting dolls today can be found in Eastern and Eastern Central Europe in countries like German, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Ukraine.  Many of these countries have created their own motifs that are common to their region.  Nesting dolls are popular souvenir items through Eastern Europe.

images found on Ingrid’s Nesting Doll Page
The dolls above are from Ukraine, they have unique bullet-shaped bodies.

images found on Ingrid’s Nesting Doll Page
These dolls from Poland have a more complex shape than the traditional Russian dolls.  Our Design Guru, Laura Boes, remembers fondly playing with her Polish grandmother’s set, which looked very similar to the set on the top right.

image from Tea
We found these pretty floral sets while traveling in Hungary.

images found on Ingrid’s Nesting Doll Page
This set from Romania have large childlike eyes.  They feel more playful than some of the more traditional sets.

Nesting Dolls Today

Today nesting dolls are popular all over the world.  So popular in fact, that our we already sold out of our Nesting Doll Tee.  Beyond the traditional motifs dolls, nesting dolls now come in sets of political leaders, pop icons, animals, and fairy tales, really almost anything you imagine.  They’ve transcended their traditional form and have become a very popular icon, especially in the the crafting community.  A search for matryoshka on Etsy yields more than 2500 results.

Micasita Etsy (top left), Bored Inc. (top center), Pulp Designs Etsy (top right), Kathleen Dames Etsy (middle left),  aimoobaroo Etsy (bottom left), Mountain of the Dragon Etsy (bottom right)

With all the variety in nesting dolls today it is easy to see why they would be so popular.  There’s a nesting doll out there for everyone.  A simple, but brilliant concept has given this toy universal appeal.

For the animal lover…
images from:  Bella Fruitella (top left), Deviant Art (top right), Bits & Pieces (bottom left), Irina Troitskaya (bottom right)

for the arist…images found on:  Audree Lapierre (top left), Unedit my heart (top right), CB2 (center left), How Now Design Flickr (center right), ModaMuse (bottom left), the wurst gallery (bottom right)

For the fashionista…

found on:  Belleslettres Etsy (top left),  Russian Vogue (bottom left and center), unknown (right) – please let me know if you  know.

for the techie…
images found on:  Engadget (top left), ListsGalore! (top right), StarStore.com (middle left), Toys & Games reviews (middle right), Drysdale & Co (bottom left), GagdgetHER (bottom right)

for the music lover…
images found on: NikkiShell (top left),  listsGalore! (top right), Amazon (bottom left), Amazon (bottom right)

sources and further reading
a nice collection of nesting jobs from all over the world:  Ingrid’s Nesting Doll Page
another good source of nesting dolls from different regions:  Nesting Doll Types
scroll to bottom of page for a great history:  The Russian Store
another good history:  Russia the Great
more history:  eHow, Russian Legacy
brief history of Matryoshka, Kokeshi and Daruma Dolls  Mama Zakka

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(artwork by Binth)

1   Egy

2   Kettö (két before a noun)

3   Három

4   Négy

5   Öt

6   Hat

7   Hét

8   Nyolc

9   Kilenc

10   Tíz

Want to double-check your memorization? Take this little quiz here!

Interested in the phonetics of the Hungarian alphabet? Check out this handy chart here.

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postcards of Károly’s Reich linocuts from Tea’s inspiration trip

I saw on the back of the cards that they were by Károly Reich, a Hungarian artist and children’s book illustrator.   I couldn’t wait to see more of his work.   Most of his work is in watercolor or gouache, which I found even more charming than his linocut pieces.  The more I found, the more obsessed I became.  I searched the internet for days trying to find every last piece of his artwork.  I was image searching google.hu.   I found myself on a random assortment of Japanese book sites that collected his work.

just a few of Károly Reich’s watercolor/gouache children’s book illustrations

I managed to get my hands on two of his books.  I got lucky with an Amazon used book search.   Matt the Gooseherd a Hungarian story told in English.  I love the idea of sharing a Hungarian tale for an English audience, I think its a great way for children to learn about new cultures.   Let’s See the Animals teaches children about a variety of woodland creatures, most of which live both in Hungary and North America.  AND! It’s illustrated in crayon!  Crayon!?  A real, respected artist who uses crayon!  I was smitten.  I was ready to design our entire line as a tribute to this man.  While the rest of the team didn’t really go for that idea, there are a few pieces that are inspired by his work (see below).

Tea’s tops inspired by Károly Reich’s illustrations
left:  Folk Tale Graphic Top
right:  Knights Layered Sleeves Tee

Let’s See The Animals and Matt the Gooseherd covers

And if anyone out there knows how to get their hands on this Reich Károly collective book, let me know – I’m still searching for it!

fun fact: I was having a hard time determining if his name was Károly Reich or Reich Károly.  It seemed to be listed differently on different books.  I asked my aunt, a librarian, which she thought was correct.    Turns out that in Hungarian names are written backwards according to the Western way of writing names.  They are apparently the only country that does this.

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Take a look at how children’s clothing styles in America have changed over the years. We’d love to hear which decade or trend is your favorite!

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The campus of school was colorful and the breeze nicely complimented the mission of the day … pinwheels galore were spinning and whirling

The Pinwheels for Peace folks estimate that over 3 million pinwheels were spinning around the world on September 21st.  Cool!

Near the middle school and high school part of the complex, these banners were also displayed.

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mini filipino macaroons

I’ve never considered myself a good cook and we’ve eaten our fair share of take-out and processed foods cooked at home. But lately, I’ve had a recent resurgence of domestication – almost to the point of obsession. I believe I can attribute this plight to the economic recession. I’m trying to save money on food so I can enjoy my other indulgences. Read: dressing my girls in designer and boutique threads that look simply adorable on them. During my quest I have found long lost family recipes – delicious snacks and treats that I enjoyed as a little one.

My recent find is a moist, sweet, and “slightly nutritional” treat that I can’t keep my girls’ hands off. They are so easy and quick to whip up – not to mention they provide a great way to administer fiber in your little one’s diet.

Filipino mini macaroons

14 oz. of shredded coconut

14 oz. can condensed milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup butter

½ cup light brown sugar

3 eggs

mini-muffin/cupcake papers

mini-muffin pan

Leave butter and eggs out at room temperature for approximately one hour.

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Once butter has softened add it to mixing bowl and cream it by gradually adding sugar until blended. Then add vanilla extract, eggs and condensed milk. Mix all ingredients well. Once mixed, add coconut and stir into mixture using a spatula. Once all ingredients are incorporated spoon into mini muffin cups and bake for approx. 15 – 20 minutes until they are slightly golden brown on top. Enjoy.

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Two weeks of preschool later, and I’m second guessing my decision to send him to school as we already have contracted our first preschool illness—pinkeye. Oh, I know that childhood illnesses are almost a rite of passage for preschoolers, and I’ve heard school likened to a Petri dish, but I honestly thought we would have at least a month of school under our belt before I had to write “sick emails” to his teacher.

While I admittedly found my son’s illness a little annoying and inconvenient at first, at the end of his sick day, I changed my tune. For the past four years, I have managed to have a very open schedule with my children. We have had a playgroup with friends that we have religiously attended and a German class once a week, but that has been it. No music classes, no soccer, no library story times. And that has been all by design because I have completely cherished our slow-paced days together. We can meet friends at the park on a whim and stay as long as we’d like because we have nowhere to be. We can spend all day driving out to the blueberry farm and having lunch in a little town on the way home without feeling like we were missing out on some other planned activity. For someone who is reluctant to commit to structured activities, the past four years have been a lazy bliss.

And this year, with the enrollment of my son in preschool, my gently rolling days have come to a halt. We now have somewhere to be in the mornings, and I have to watch the clock all day long so that I don’t incur the dreaded late pick up fee at his preschool. Just two weeks into the school year, and I found myself contemplating having a preschool dropout for a son. And then comes his pinkeye, and I was gifted with an unexpected day of relaxation. Although the day started off with a seismic battle over eye drops, my children and I quickly realized that it was going to be a fun day—a day of puzzles on the dining room floor, grabbing a scone at the coffee shop, and picking hot peppers from the garden. In the midst of a September that is more black ink than blank spaces on the calendar in the kitchen, this quiet day with just the three of us hanging out was a welcome oasis, a special treat, and it almost makes me look forward to the next sick day.

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We celebrated with the usual balloons and birthday cake but we also incorporated a bit of our Chinese and Korean cultures.

One popular tradition when the baby turns one is to try to predict the baby’s future by setting out several objects and letting her pick one. In the past, this might have included items like an abacus to symbolize a career in business and a book to represent a life as a scholar. There’s also thread for a long life.

We decided to have a little fun with it. We set out a microphone for the future American Idol, a push pin for the budding fashionista and/or Project Runway designer, a pencil for the next Hemingway, a golf ball for the future Michelle Wie, a tennis ball for the Venus or Serena Williams-in-training, a stethoscope for a doctor, a spool of the traditional thread, a book and an abacus.

We were at the playground for her birthday party, so we lined up all the objects up on the cement ledge that separates the sand pit from the rest of the park. Then we put our daughter down in the sand, a few feet away. She knew exactly what to do, crawling towards what must have seemed like a bunch of new toys — all for her!

She lunged first for the abacus. She also paused to consider the pencil and to pick up the golf and tennis balls. But then she went back to the abacus. We think the abacus must have looked like the best new toy, the shiny, colorful beads the perfect size for her little fingers, which she could move around and which each made a satisfying clicking sound.

Of course, what that means for her destiny is up to interpretation. Some of our party guests thought it meant she would become an accountant, though another said she could also be an engineer. Or maybe the CEO of some big business.

Given that she showed an interest in not just the abacus, but also the pencil and the balls, I’m hoping that not only will she be brilliant at math (unlike her mama) but also be athletic and a good writer. A mom can dream.

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It had been a while, 3 years to be exact, since my husband and I had made the trip into Pittsburgh for my grandmother’s mother’s Pernatozzi family reunion picnic. And yes, I said my grandmother’s mother’s side of the family; they’re 100% Italian, so to them the bonds of family, no matter how extended, seem to surpass time it-self. My father, (the Italian one of course), always emphasized the importance of family, no matter how distantly related; this taught me to treat everyone I met like a family member. Now, since I had not been to the picnic for a grand total of 3 years, (considered to be eons for the Pernatozzi side), it was ‘highly recommended’ that I make this trip. Italians can be so persistent! As my husband, 3 year-old toddler, and I drove in late on a Saturday night to attend the picnic, I wondered whether it was worth the extra effort. My answer was about to come.

When we approached the park site, a plethora of images ran through my head: I saw my Uncle Kevin leading the kid’s games like the egg toss or three-legged race. I saw the men gathered in a circle making gestures with their hands as they shouted out strange words like ‘due’ and ‘otto.’ I imagined my Grandmother and her sister swaying and singing along to Italian song, Funiculi Funicula. I envisioned figures in the distance tossing red and green balls toward a fixed target. And I could almost smell the sweet savory scent of smoked sausages through the intense summer heat.

We finally reach the picnic, and it’s as if no time has passed. There is still a spread of Italian sausage, fried eggplant, cheese, fruit and some American fare on the tables. There are still men within a circle playing the Italian hand game of morra. The competitive bocce game remains as distant cousins play games of horseshoe nearby. Dynamic would be far too temperate a word to describe the energy of the day; it was an explosive event full of life and energy. And that’s what I love about the Italian part of my family; they constantly remind me to live life to the fullest, although I think Laura Pausini sings it best in Andrea Bocelli’s song, Vivere,

“Try looking at tomorrow, not yesterday, and all the things you left behind. Oh those tender words you did not say, the gentle touch you couldn’t find. In these days of nameless faces, there’s no one truth, but only pieces. My life is all I have to give. Dare to live, until the very last. Dare to live, forget about the past. Dare to live, giving of your-self to others, even when it seems there’s nothing more left to give.”

I hope we can all ‘dare to live.’

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The following information is being borrowed from Dyhan Summers, a psychotherapist here in Delhi, who works with expats – singles, married couples, families and children.


She can be contacted via email at mindfulaction@yahoo.com.

I wanted to share it with you because – no matter your location – I feel it is one of a parents MOST important jobs, to teach your children compassion.  Compassion is not a character trait that can be easily learned once you reach adulthood.  It needs to be fostered, grown and encouraged while your children are still molding into what you’d like to see them become ::

A.  Definition of compassion.  The desire to assuage the feelings of suffering in others.  It is positive, not pity and is a combination of feeling and action
B.  Compassion vs competition; so much of a child’s life revolves around competition in school, sports and video games.  Competition stresses “me” and often works against compassion
C.  teaching compassion begins at home, communicate the benefits of compassion, how it makes us feel better about ourselves and also helps others
D.  be a positive role model for your children.  believe and practice compassion as a family with yourself and other family members
E.  talk about famous heroes – Mahatma Gandhi, MLK, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, etc.  Read kids appropriate biographies.
F.  use stories to bring out compassionate action

SO … what do you DO to teach compassion?

Some of my thoughts on how to easily teach and model compassion.

1.  Sign up to make dinner for a new neighbor, or someone who is ill or has just had a baby.  Instead of simply signing up and delivering a meal, take an extra step and involve your children.  Have them color a note to attach to the meal, or pick a favorite poem or song to write out for the recipient.

2.  Talk often about how we can be kind, generous, affectionate and loving to each other.  I want for my children to have the “awwww” response when they see an injured animal or a sad friend.  I want for them to have empathy and feel the best way is to consistently talk about feelings and how to help others.

3.  Sponsor a child, donate to a local (or far away) charity or collect items from your home to drop off at a battered womans shelter, or home for homeless children.

4.  Sponsor a collection drive amongst your friends.  Instead of gathering simply for coffee and fruit snacks, ask participants to BRING something that can then be gifted to others.

5.  Enlist the help of a savings bank like Preschool Money Manager to help children save, spend AND share their money.

6.  Visit the Kids Can Make a Difference website for some more amazing and quite simple ideas!

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