Matryoshka dolls (pronounced MOT-TREE-OSH-KAH) are famous all over the world. They are the wooden nesting dolls. The first matryosha was made in 1890. The name stems from the Old Russian peasant female name Matryona, which was a popular among the peasants. Its Latin root means mother, and it is associated with the image of a mother of a big peasant family who was not only healthy but portly. Typically, the biggest doll is a woman and the inner pieces can be either gender. A baby is typically the smallest inner piece. They traditionally follow a theme--from dress to fairy tale characters to Soviet leaders.
The largest matryoshka contained 72 pieces. It cost approximately 3000 rubles in 1970. A popular Soviet car at that time cost 5000 rubles! I personally can't imagine a dolls costing as much as my car, but then again, I'm not Russian...
Here is a matryoshka of famous Soviet leaders:
We walked around w/ the intent on buying a set of these, but wanted to check Arbat Street first- the little stands at Red Square had small ones for 100 rubles- not bad! :) ...If I had realized, I would have just grabbed them then, and not decided to wait until our next trip! :(
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