After the civil war and the revolution, hard times have come for dolls, as well as for people. The production of toys stopped altogether, factories closed, and small artels appeared in their place. Many families themselves invented and invented fun for children, carving horses, boats, trains or little men out of wood. And when the toys returned, they had completely different faces, types and heroes.
Manufacturers focused on making toys in the form of peasants, workers, pioneers. This practice was thought out as an educational and political component. Bourgeois dolls were banned, also depicting young ladies with gentlemen and in the form of clergy.
What toys were made of
Materials such as porcelain and lace were a luxury, so at first famous toys were made of fabric or wood, filled with shavings and cotton wool in single copies. Since 1936, enterprises have mastered a new technology - hot pressing of parts, which greatly accelerated the process. Thus, the doll of the USSR appeared. "March 8" - that was the name of one of the legendary Moscow artels for the manufacture of children's toys, which brought up more than one generation over the years.
Besideslittle daughters, beloved by girls, also appear pilots, Red Army soldiers in budennivka, workers of various speci alties. In puppetry, great importance was attached to the individuality created by the artists.
Business-like, serious with a cold look, at least send them to the collective farm to fulfill the five-year plan - at first there were dolls of the USSR that depicted the severity of the era. Later, Stalin ordered all toy products to be made with smiles. Factories also specialized in making additions to their favorite toys in the form of dishes (small plates and cups), furniture and cribs.
Gradually, starting from the 1930s, more expensive dolls with real porcelain details began to appear in Soviet stores. The details of these toys are echoed by the words of Pinocchio, who, offended by Malvina, shouted: “The head is porcelain, the body is stuffed with cotton, and it also teaches.”
What was the difference between dolls in the USSR from our contemporaries
Dolls of the USSR are strikingly different from their modern counterparts. In those days, the emphasis in manufacturing was on the fact that through the game the child forms an idea of the world around him. The person who designed the toy had to prove the educational value for the child. Dolls in the past were more like little girls with age-appropriate features: chubby legs, arms and a he althy blush on the face.
From today's Barbie doll Masha differed plump lips, cheeks, childish physique, she actually resembledlittle daughter to play mother-daughter. Western dolls tend more to be portrayed as grown-up girls with painted eyes and lips and matching body shapes, ready to be in a relationship with fiancé Ken.
Child psychologists claim that the presence of adult forms, a big house and a car for Barbie makes children desire a good life and premature relationships with the opposite sex.
Great attention to quality
Earlier, in the Soviet period, in order to release a toy, it was necessary to go through about forty different instances and checks. The Soviet manufacturer did not know about any dangerous dyes and fillers. What the children touched should not cause allergies, break down or fall apart in the near future, meet standards and state standards, be approved for a certain age group, and have an educational function. In this regard, parents should pay great attention to what they buy for their child.
Soviet dolls were simple: the head, legs and arms were made of pink plastic, the body could be either rag or plastic, the hair was hard in various shades, depending on the character. Little daughters were dressed in simple cotton summer dresses. In the late 1950s, a novelty appeared - a German beauty with closing eyes, every girl dreamed of this doll. But the classic version was still more popular due to the fact that the faces of the German dolls did not give suchsame childish naivete.
Dolls in national costumes and baby dolls
In the middle of the 20th century, manufacturers produced Soviet dolls in the national attire of the republics. They were very relevant in 1957 on the eve of the World Moscow Festival of Youth and Students, and these dolls were also used as exhibition items in different countries.
Dolls of the USSR were also represented by little babies. These kids were sold without clothes, which meant the development of sewing skills in little girls. Basically, baby dolls were asexual, so the owner of such a toy herself decided whether she had a boy or a girl. Baby dolls fit in a pocket, some were made with movable arms and legs with elastic bands.
Development of toy stores and factories
The famous "Children's World" on Lubyanka Square opened in 1957. This department store was supposed to stimulate the post-war birth rate - for the first time since the revolution, a store has opened with such a rich choice for children and their parents.
Competitions for the best inventions of toys were created, fakes brought in were evaluated and exhibited in the showroom.
By the 60s, no longer small artels were making dolls of the USSR, factories took up this closely, trying to keep up with the times and follow what society and children are interested in. At the time of the space age, factories responded with the mass production of rockets, aircraft, pilots, astronauts. Popular cartoon characters were also in great demand to createnew characters. The highlight of the program was Gena the crocodile, as well as Cheburashka, Pinocchio, Chipolino, Puss in Boots.
Why today's diversity should be valued
Today, children's toy stores offer a huge selection, sales assistants can help at any time, but in Soviet times, such fun for a girl as a Masha doll was in short supply. Most of the children were content with wooden or homemade products of loving parents. In order to get scarce fun for a child, in Soviet times, one had to stand in line all day long and go to the store with coupons, and it’s not a fact that on this day the turn will come to those who wish.
