The custom of playing with dolls, puppets and other human-shaped figures is probably as old as the human race. Dolls are known in almost all cultures. Playing with them has helped children throughout the ages to practice various situations in life and prepare for adult roles.

Nothing much is known of earlier dolls
Estonian doll history does not make it possible to look back in time more than a few hundred years. What happened before that is pure guesswork. In the ancient and medieval periods, children in this part of the world probably also played with dolls carved of wood, like the one found in neighbouring Finland and dating back to the 15th century. Dolls could also be of clay, wax, bones, pieces of cloth, straw and other natural materials. Unfortunately, whether dolls and puppets in Estonia were made by professional toy-makers, as was the situation in Germany, or whether they were made by parents, is not known.

Dolls become valuable
The industrial production of dolls in Europe began in the 19th century, when a carefree childhood, and playing as an inevitable part of it, became a value in itself. This was the time when the first dolls, either for playing or with a decorative purpose, made of china, celluloid and other modern materials, reached Estonia. The really expensive bisque dolls - with pink faces, genuine hair, glass eyes and finely sewn clothes - were brought, for children in wealthier families, from abroad. Such dolls were mainly produced in Germany, France and Russia.
Country fairs and city shops also sold dolls' heads made of shining glazed china. You could then make the body at home, and sew clothes for it. Children in poorer families played with dolls made at home out of wood, rags and other available materials.

The first small doll industries in Estonia
Estonian doll-production started in the 1920s-1930s, when small toyshops and home industries were set up in bigger towns. Home production mostly made only dolls or other toys as well - wooden doll houses, rocking horses, toy ships etc. One such enterprise was 'Läänela' in the Nõmme residential area, next to Tallinn, which produced dolls from a certain mixture of gypsum, water, paper, glue and other substances. The heads, legs and arms of the dolls were allowed to dry, then polished and painted, attached to the body and clothed. Dolls were made to order for private citizens and for shops to sell. They were also sold at markets, fairs and agricultural exhibitions.
Another type of doll was more refined, usually beautiful ladies, princesses, gypsies, harlequins and decorative cushions with dolls' faces. Such textile dolls were made at home or in sewing workshops. Making decorative dolls could be studied in special courses and they were displayed at various doll exhibitions.

Dolls made at manufacturing enterprises
The Soviet occupation brought along the closure of former businesses, including those producing and selling toys. The new power established small handicraft artels, which, besides food and consumer goods, also produced toys.
In the 1960-70s, with large-scale production of toys, both dolls for playing and as souvenirs were made by the artel called 'Salvo'. Thousands of plastic dolls named Tiina and Toomas emerged from its production lines. For those travelling abroad, the textile and painted wooden dolls in Estonian national costumes were a nice gift to take along. Most dolls in Soviet toyshops, however, came from neighbouring fraternal countries and socialist countries. Soft plastic dolls from the German Democratic Republic, whose eyes opened and closed and whose hair could be combed, were especially sought after.

Estonian dolls become rarities
The re-establishment of the Republic of Estonia in 1991 brought about the gradual decline of the toy industry. Producing local toys was no longer profitable, although some smaller enterprises and private businesses still tried. Besides wooden toys, they also made textile dolls clad in national costumes, as befitted a time of national sentiment.
Toyshops all over the world, and also in Estonia, have been conquered by American super dolls and mass-production toys made in China. Local dolls, usually made by artists and artisans, can only be found today in small handicraft and souvenir shops.

Although the history of Estonian dolls is not long, and does not contain elegant inventions, famous names or striking rarities, it still has its tale to tell. The tale is told at the Tartu Toy Museum, which displays rag dolls of rural children, pink-cheeked china dolls, toys of the plastic era, and dolls made by today's Estonian artists.

Tartu Toy Museum
The Tartu Toy Museum takes adults back to the happy days of childhood and offers children many fascinating things to see and do. In addition to dolls for playing with, the permanent display shows toys of olden times, Estonian film and theatre puppets, and souvenir dolls from around the world. A playroom is open for children, where play days, puppet performances and other children's events are organised.
The Toy Museum is located in a picturesque wooden house in the old town of Tartu, at 8 Lutsu Street, and is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. More information is available at www.mm.ee

Triin Vaaro (1973) graduated from the University of Tartu, with an MA in Ethnology. Beginning in 1998, she worked as a scholar at the Museum, and from 2006 she has worked as a research and development manager. She has organised exhibitions and written about the history of Estonian toys.