Babushkas, as most people know them, first saw the light of day in 1890. Also called matryoshka dolls.
Artists participating in an artist camp outside Moscow drew and carved the first wooden puppets in Russia, and it is believed that they got the idea after seeing traditional Japanese wooden puppets representing gods from Japanese mythology.
The original baboons were eight hollow wooden dolls that could fit inside each other.
Ten years later, ie in 1900, the dolls were exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris, where they attracted much attention among the visitors.
The baboons secured Russia a bronze medal in the toy category, and this achievement led to a huge increase in sales.
Doll-making workshops sprang up all over Russia, and artisans carved out dolls almost 24 hours a day to meet the demand.
In several other countries, including Germany, illegal baboons were produced for profit.
The dolls are still very popular today, and tourists in Russia often buy them as souvenirs to take home.
According to many Russians, this is a misnomer for the dolls. In many places they are called babushkas, but they are actually matryoshkas.
Babushka means grandmother in Russian, and Russians just shake their heads or laugh if they hear the dolls called babushkas. Afterwards, they usually correct people.
