After the civil war and revolution, difficult times came for dolls, as well as for people. The production of toys ceased altogether, the factories closed, and small artels appeared instead. Many families themselves invented and invented fun for children, carving horses, boats, trains or men from a tree. And when the toys returned, they already had completely different faces, characters and heroes.
Manufacturers focused on the manufacture of toys in the form of peasants, workers, pioneers. This practice was thought out as an educational and political component. Bourgeois dolls, also depicting young ladies with gentlemen and in the form of clergy, were banned.
What toys were made of
Materials such as porcelain and lace were luxury, so at first the 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 USSR doll appeared. “March 8” 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 of work.
In addition to the daughters of little daughters favorite for girls, there are also pilots, Red Army men in Budennovka, workers of various specialties. In puppet images, great importance was attached to the individuality created by artists.
Business, serious with a cold look, even send them to the collective farm to carry out 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 done with smiles. Factories also specialized in the manufacture of accessories for your favorite toy in the form of dishes (small plates and cups), furniture and cribs.
Gradually, starting from the 1930s, more expensive dolls with details from real porcelain 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, but it also teaches.”
What was the difference between dolls in the USSR and our contemporaries
Dolls of the USSR are very different from 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 developed the toy had to prove the educational value for the child. Dolls in the past were more like little girls with the corresponding age characteristics: chubby legs, pens and a healthy blush on their faces.
From today's Barbie, Masha’s doll was distinguished by chubby lips, cheeks, a physique, and it really looked like a little daughter for playing mother and daughter. Western dolls tend to be portrayed as an adult girl with painted eyes and lips and appropriate body shapes, ready for a relationship with the groom Ken.
Child psychologists argue that the presence of adult forms, a large house and a car for Barbie causes children to desire a good life and premature relationship 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 an allergy, break down or fall apart in the near future, meet the standards and state standards, be approved for a certain age group, have an educational function. In this regard, parents should pay great attention to what they buy the child.
Soviet dolls were simple: the head, legs and hands were made of pink plastic, the body could be either rag or plastic, hair was tough 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 closed eyes, every girl dreamed about this doll. But the classic version was still more popular due to the fact that the faces of German dolls did not give the same childish naivety.
Dolls in national costumes and sweeties
In the middle of the 20th century, manufacturers produced Soviet dolls in national robes of the republics. They were very relevant in 1957 on the eve of the Moscow World Festival of Youth and Students, and these dolls were also used as exhibits in different countries.
Dolls of the USSR were also represented by small dolls. These kids were sold without clothes, which implied the development of sewing skills in young girls. Mostly baby dolls were asexual, so the owner of such a toy herself decided whether she had a boy or a girl. Small 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 post-war fertility - for the first time after the revolution, a store with such a wide choice for children and their parents opened.
Competitions were created for the best inventions of toys, brought fakes were evaluated and exhibited in the showroom.
By the 60s, puppets of the USSR were no longer making small artels, factories took up this closely, trying to keep up to date and monitor what society and children were interested in. At the time of the space age, factories responded by mass production of rockets, planes, pilots, astronauts. Popular cartoon characters are also in great demand for creating new characters. The highlight of the program was the crocodile Gena, as well as Cheburashka, Pinocchio, Chipolino, Puss in Boots.
Why you need to appreciate today's diversity
Today, children's toy stores offer a huge selection, sales consultants can help at any time, but in Soviet times, such fun for the girl as the doll Masha was in short supply. Most children were content with wooden or home-made products of loving parents. In order to get scarce fun for a child, in Soviet times it was necessary to stand in line for days and go to the store for coupons, and it’s not a fact that on this day the queue reaches the person who wants it.