The matryoshka is a Russian toy, made of dolls hollowed in the middle, inserted into each other, the so-called "Baba w babie". The matryoshka is not a traditional handicraft, the first one was made around 1890, perhaps inspired by Japanese dolls. Due to the enormous popularity it gained at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, they began to be mass-produced in Russia. <br />
The characters depicting matryoshka dolls are usually girls in folk costumes, but they also represent famous politicians, historical figures or monuments of Russia.
