How Christmas tree decorations were made in the 80s and 90s. Antique Christmas tree decorations: history and photos. Toys made from other materials

2017 will mark the 100th anniversary of the revolution that ended Russian Empire. Nowadays, few people can imagine, but for almost 20 years we haven’t celebrated the New Year at all in our country. Already in 1918, the Council of People's Commissars banned this holiday as an attribute of the old world, and January 1 became a regular working day. Few people continued to decorate the Christmas tree, and those who did not want to deviate from tradition were forced to make Christmas tree decorations with their own hands from scrap materials. Of course, they stopped producing toys for the disgraced holiday.

In 2017, we can celebrate the round anniversary of the revival of the holiday. 80 years ago, in 1937, the party and government issued a decree “On the celebration of the New Year in the USSR.” At the same time, the first official Christmas tree of the USSR took place in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions. The holiday also has its own new traditions. The Christmas tree in the Hall of Columns was decorated with red five-pointed star. Soon such stars adorned the tops of New Year symbols in most Soviet homes. Moreover, at the first Christmas tree of the USSR, Father Frost appeared on stage for the first time together with the Snow Maiden. He didn't have an assistant before.

It is not surprising that this year collectors and simply lovers of antiques staged a real hunt for toys from the times October revolution and Stalin's years. The former are now in great demand and rarely reach exposure on the Internet.

“Pre-revolutionary and Soviet toys are fundamentally different,” antique dealer Alexander Kuznetsov tells Life. - After all, they used to celebrate Christmas first. Hence the theme of the toys - these are Christmas grandfathers, angels, and children's figurines. Glass toys are most valued - very few of them have survived. I recently visited a woman to evaluate a 19th-century slide. The slide itself was typical for that time, in average condition, I wouldn’t give more than 20 thousand rubles for it, but inside I saw a collection of porcelain toys from the pre-revolutionary period - children on a sled. As a result, I bought them for 50 thousand. A buyer has already been found for 200 thousand. But the antique market is fraught with risks. The price is largely determined by demand and there are no clear prices. A person can sell a rare toy for 500 thousand if he finds a collector.

While pre-revolutionary toys are still rare, you can afford to decorate the Christmas tree with real balls and figures Soviet era Now almost everyone can. Prices start from 500 rubles and reach several tens of thousands. Not only factory-made toys are sold, but also home-made ones. For example, figurines of animals and birds cut out of cardboard - hares, cockerels, piglets - can be bought for an amount from 200 rubles to 5 thousand. That is, Soviet toys now cost about 10 times more than modern ones.

“Among the most expensive are toys from the 30s and 40s,” Yana Taran, director of the largest specialized store “Soviet Porcelain,” tells Life. - For example, Chukchi on deer can cost 8-12 thousand rubles, depending on the condition, and simple vegetables - from 500 rubles. The price, by the way, depends not only on the degree of preservation, but also on rarity.

According to Yana Taran, at that time - from the 30s to the late 40s - there were very few glass toys. Basically, they were made from cotton wool, which was treated with a special adhesive composition, and porcelain faces were already inserted into it. The simplicity of toys was associated with war. But in the 50s and 60s there were a lot of glass figurines. People wanted a holiday, everything bright and shiny.

In the 60s there was a fashion, for example, for cartoon characters. Then Tsar Dadon, the Golden Cockerel, and Cipollino appeared among the toys. After Yuri Gagarin's space flight, Christmas decorations became very popular. space theme- stars, satellites.

“In the 70s, toys became more primitive,” continues Yana Taran. - In the 50s, faces were better painted, hands were more natural. In the 70s, toys began to be made more streamlined, with less noticeable details. Among the characters are Pencil, Samodelkin, and Snow Maidens, but they are simple in shape - similar to nesting dolls. But in the 80s they began to make more balls.

Now the assortment of “Soviet Porcelain” includes several thousand toys from the times of the USSR. The items that sell the most are those from the 50s to the 70s. By the way, in Lately Modern replicas of these toys also appeared. But they are not in demand. As market participants say: the faces are not the same, the painting is not the same, it is clear that it is a remake. So true connoisseurs still prefer to buy originals. In addition, unlike Soviet times, now Christmas tree decorations are not at all in short supply.

With age, there is a desire to remember childhood, to plunge into nostalgia, to touch associations that will awaken bright and pleasant emotions. For some reason, the New Year in the style of the times of the USSR remains a bright and desirable holiday in the memory of those over thirty, despite its certain simplicity, scarcity and unpretentiousness of dishes festive table.

The trend to celebrate in the manner of yesteryear is only growing. And a party in the American style is no longer so inspiring to contemporaries; you want to decorate fragrant pine needles with old Christmas tree decorations, and place cotton wool, nuts and tangerines under it.

Christmas tree variety

The Christmas tree was decorated with an abundance of assorted decorations. Particular attention is paid to the ancient Christmas decorations on clothespins, allowing you to place them anywhere in the tree, even at the top or in the middle of the branch. This is Santa Claus, Snow Maiden, Snowman, Squirrel, pine cone, moon or lantern. Toys of a later version are all kinds of cartoon characters, funny clowns, nesting dolls, rockets, airships, cars.

Icicles, cones, vegetables, houses, clocks, little animals, stars, flat and voluminous, beads together with cotton wool, flags and garlands of small light bulbs created a unique holiday composition. The one who decorated the Christmas tree had considerable responsibility - after all, the fragile product would shatter into fragments if moved incorrectly, so it was up to him to manage the preparation for New Year's Eve was a privilege.

From Toy Story

The tradition of decorating the New Year's tree came to us from Europe: it was believed that edible items - apples, nuts, candies, placed near the tree, were able to attract abundance in the new year.

Vintage Christmas tree decorations from Germany, like current ones, form a trend in the field of New Year's decorations. They were very fashionable in those years fir cones, plated with gold, silver-plated stars, figurines of angels made of brass. The candles were small, in metal candlesticks. They were placed on the branches with the flame facing outward, and were lit exclusively on Christmas night. In past times, they had a huge cost per set; not everyone could afford them.

The toys of the 17th century were inedible and consisted of gilded pine cones, objects in foil with a base of tin wire, cast in wax. In the 19th century, glass toys appeared, but they were available only to rich families, while middle-income people decorated the Christmas tree with beaten cotton, fabric and plaster figurines. Below you can see what the old Christmas tree decorations looked like (photo).

In Russia there were not enough raw materials for the production of glass-blowing jewelry, and imports were expensive. The first were the ancient Christmas tree athletes, skiers in funny sweatshirts, speed skaters, pioneers, polar explorers, wizards in oriental outfits, Santa Clauses, traditionally with a big beard, dressed “in Russian,” forest animals, fairy tale characters, fruits, mushrooms, berries, easy to make, which were gradually supplemented and transformed before another, more cheerful variety appeared. Dolls with multi-colored skin symbolized the friendship of peoples. Carrots, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers delighted with their natural colors.

Grandfather Frost became a popular long-liver in many countries - a weighted figure made of cotton wool on a stand, which was later purchased at a flea market - with a face made of polyethylene and other materials. His fur coat gradually changed: it could be made of foam, wood, fabric or plastic.

In 1935, the ban on official celebrations was lifted, and the release of New Year's toys. The first of them were symbolic for some depicted state attributes - the hammer and sickle, flags, photos of famous politicians, others became displays of fruits and animals, airships, gliders, and even the image of Khrushchev’s time - corn.

Since the 1940s, toys have appeared depicting household objects - teapots, samovars, lamps. During the war years, they were made from production waste - tin and metal shavings, wire in limited quantities: tanks, soldiers, stars, snowflakes, cannons, airplanes, pistols, paratroopers, houses and what not you will find when you take out a bag of old Christmas tree decorations from the attic.

At the fronts, New Year's needles were decorated with spent cartridges, shoulder straps, made from rags and bandages, paper, and burnt out light bulbs. At home, ancient Christmas tree decorations were made from available materials - paper, fabric, ribbons, eggshells.

In 1949, after Pushkin’s anniversary, figures of characters from his fairy tales began to be produced, to which others were subsequently added. fairy-tale heroes: Aibolit, Little Red Riding Hood, Dwarf, Little Humpbacked Horse, Crocodile, Cheburashka, fairy houses, cockerels, nesting dolls, mushrooms.

Since the 50s, toys for miniature Christmas trees have appeared on sale, which could be conveniently placed in a tiny apartment and quickly taken apart: these are cute bottles, balls, animals, fruits.

At the same time, ancient Christmas tree decorations on clothespins were now common: birds, animals, clowns, musicians. Sets of 15 girls were popular national costumes, promoting the friendship of peoples. From that time on, everything that could be attached to the tree “grew”, and even sheaves of wheat.

In 1955, in honor of the release of the Pobeda car, a miniature appeared - a New Year's decoration in the form of a glass car. And after the flight into space, astronauts and rockets glow on the needles of the Christmas trees.

Until the 60s, antique Christmas tree decorations made of glass beads were in fashion: tubes and lanterns strung on wire, sold in sets, long beads. Designers are experimenting with shape and color: figurines with relief, elongated pyramids, icicles, and cones “sprinkled” with snow are popular.

Plastic is beginning to be actively used: transparent balls with butterflies inside, figures in the form of spotlights, polyhedrons.

From the 70-80s they began to produce toys made from foam rubber and plastic. Christmas and country themes turned out to be dominant. Cartoon characters have been updated: Winnie the Pooh, Carlson, Umka. Subsequently, mass production of Christmas tree decorations became the norm. Fluffy snowball has become fashionable, and when hung, it is not always possible to see the rest of the decorations on the tree.

Closer to the 90s, bright and shiny balls, bells, houses are in the lead in production, and in them there is more of a fashion trend rather than movement. human soul, like before the 60s.

There is a possibility that in the future, faceless glass balls will fade into the background, and the old ones will acquire the value of antiques.

DIY cotton wool toys

Factory pressed cotton toys were produced on a cardboard basis and were called “Dresden”. Afterwards they improved somewhat and began to be covered with a paste diluted with starch. This surface protected the figurine from dirt and rapid wear.

Some made them themselves. When the whole family got together, people created Christmas tree decorations using a wire frame and painted them themselves. Today it is easy to recreate such ancient Christmas tree decorations from cotton wool with your own hands. To do this you will need: wire, cotton wool, starch, egg white, a set of gouache paints with brushes and a little patience.

First, you can draw the desired figures on paper, draw their base - a frame, which is then made from wire. The next step is to brew the starch (2 tablespoons per 1.5 cups of boiling water). Take the cotton wool into strands and wrap it around the frame elements, moistening it with paste and securing it with threads.

Without wire, using cotton wool and glue, you can make balls and fruits, and also use a paper base instead of metal. When the toys are dry, they should be covered with a new layer of cotton wool and soaked in egg white, which allows you to work with thin layers of cotton wool, penetrates into inaccessible areas and prevents the base material from sticking to your fingers.

The layers of cotton wool need to dry well, after which they are ready for painting with gouache; you can draw details, accessories on them, and insert faces from pictures. This is exactly what ancient Christmas tree toys made of cotton wool were like - light enough to hang them on a threaded thread or place them on branches.

Snowman

Everyone is familiar with the old Christmas tree toy Snowman made of cotton wool from the 1950s, which was later produced from glass and represented on this moment has a collectible value. This retro style clothespin ornament makes a great Christmas gift.

But, as already mentioned, you can create old cotton Christmas tree decorations in memory of past years yourself. For this purpose, they first make a wire frame, and then wrap it with cotton wool, periodically dipping their fingers into the glue. The body is first wrapped in newspaper or toilet paper, also soaked in paste or PVA. Wadded clothing - felt boots, mittens, fringe - is attached on top of the paper base.

To begin with, it’s a good idea to dip the material in water with aniline dyes and dry it. The face is a separate stage: it is made from salt dough, fabric or other method, after which they are made convex, glued to the figure and dried.

Toys you create yourself will give your Christmas tree unforgettable flavor, because they are valuable not for beauty, but for originality. Such an item can be presented as a souvenir or added to the main present.

Balls

Balls in old times were also popular. But even those of them that have survived to this day, albeit with dents and hollows, have a unique charm and still attract admiring glances: they concentrate the light of the garlands, thanks to which they create a fabulous illumination. Among them there are even phosphorus ones that glow in the dark.

Clock balls, reminiscent of a New Year's dial, were placed on the tree in a visible or central place. The arrows on them always showed five minutes to midnight. Such ancient Christmas tree decorations (see photos in the review) were placed just below the top, after the most important decoration - the star.

Antique Christmas tree decorations made of papier-mâché were also extremely good: these are balls of two halves that can be opened and you can find a delicacy inside them. Children love such unexpected surprises. When hung among others or as a garland, these balloons add interesting variety and make for a nice mystery or gift discovery event that will be remembered for a long time.

You can make a papier-mâché ball yourself using napkins, paper, PVA glue, first preparing the mass for its layer-by-layer formation. To do this, the paper is soaked for a couple of hours, wrung out, mixed with glue, and then placed in half on the inflatable ball. When the layer becomes dense to the touch, it can be decorated with ribbons and beads, painted with paints, and various applications can be glued on. But the most interesting thing is the gift hidden inside a peculiar box without a lock. Both children and adults will be truly delighted by such original packaging!

Beads

Ancient Christmas tree decorations in the form of beads and large bugles were placed on the middle or lower branches. Particularly fragile specimens still have their original appearance due to the fact that they were carefully stored and passed on to their grandchildren from their grandmothers. Bicycles, airplanes, satellites, birds, dragonflies, handbags, and baskets were also made from glass beads.

A series of oriental-themed toys, released in the late 40s and retaining their popularity, featured characters such as Hottabych, Aladdin, and oriental beauties. The beads were distinguished by their filigree shapes, hand-painted patterns, and were reminiscent of Indian national patterns. Similar jewelry in oriental and other styles remained in demand until the 1960s.

Cardboard toys

Embossed cardboard decorations on mother-of-pearl paper are wonderful Christmas tree decorations using ancient technology, made in the form of figures of animals, fish, chickens, deer, huts in the snow, children and other characters on a peaceful theme. Such toys were bought in the form of sheets in a box, cut out and painted independently.

They glow in the dark and give the tree a unique charm. It seems that these are not simple figures, but real “stories”!

Rain

What kind of rain was used to decorate the Soviet Christmas tree? It was a vertical, flowing sheen, far from the voluminous and fluffy sheen of modern specimens. If there were empty spaces between the branches, they tried to fill them with cotton wool, garlands and sweets.

Some time later, horizontal rain appeared. Under the tree it could be partially replaced with foam plastic.

Paper toys

Many antique DIY Christmas tree decorations - plastic, paper, glass - were created by hand, so they looked very cute and charming. To replicate this masterpiece, you need very little time and materials.

A cardboard ring (for example, left over from tape) is decorated on the inside with an accordion made of colored paper, and on the outside with glitter and snowballs. Accordion maybe different colors or with inclusions, tabs, for which you should bend a rectangle of paper of a different color and place it inside the ring.

You can make relief balls from holiday cards according to the following scheme: cut out 20 circles, draw full-size isosceles triangles on them on the wrong side, each side of which will serve as a fold line. Bend the circles outward along the marked lines. Glue together the bent edges of the first five circles with the front side facing outward - they will form the top part of the ball, another five will form the bottom of the ball, and the remaining ten will form the middle part of the ball. Finally, combine all the parts with glue, threading a thread through the top.

You can also make three-color balls: cut them out of colored paper and stack circles, placing two colors next to each other, and fasten them along the edges with a stapler. Then glue the edges of each circle as follows: the lower part with the left “neighbor”, and its part at the top with the right one. In this case, the plates from the stack will straighten out at the connected points, forming a volume. The ball is ready.

Toys made from other materials

The following materials open up the field for imagination:

• figures made of cardboard and buttons (pyramids, patterns, men);
• felt, the solid edges of which allow you to cut out any parts and bases for toys;
• used disks (in independent form, with a photo pasted in the center, in the form of an element - mosaic chips);
• collect beads on a wire, give it the desired silhouette - a heart, an asterisk, a ring, add it with a ribbon - and such a pendant is ready to decorate the branches;
• egg tray (moisten, knead like dough, form and dry figures, paint).

To make ball toys from threads: inflate a rubber ball, coat it with thick cream, dilute PVA glue in water (3:1), put the yarn of the desired color in a bowl with the glue solution. Then begin to wrap the inflated ball with thread (it can be replaced with thin wire). Upon completion, leave it to dry for a day, after which the rubber ball is carefully deflated and pulled out through the threads. You can decorate such a toy with glitter to suit your taste.

Of course, the most simple, but interesting way to create and transform existing balls is to decorate them with artificial or natural materials: wrap the ball in fabric, add a ribbon, cover it with acorns, wrap it with a cord with rhinestones, put it in wire with beads, attach beads, stones and tinsel using a syringe with glue.

Where to buy vintage toys

Today you can find antique Christmas tree decorations made of cotton wool or tinsel in the style of yesteryear at city flea markets. As an option, you can consider online auctions and online stores offering items from the USSR era. For some sellers, such jewelry is generally considered to be antiques and is part of a collection.

Today you can find ancient Christmas tree decorations in almost any city (Ekaterinburg, Moscow, St. Petersburg, etc.). Of course, many sellers will offer products of the past, recreated according to modern technologies, but even among them there are specimens capable of surprising.

During the New Year holidays, it is worth paying attention to exhibitions of antique Christmas tree decorations, which are often organized in museums. The spectacle looks like a hall with a huge Christmas tree covered with Soviet-era toys from the top to the floor. On the walls there are stands with New Year's copies of the past, from which you can trace the entire history of their transformation and even take photographs. IN New Year holidays Entrance to some museums is free.

And when there is a live Christmas tree in the house, decorated with toys from Soviet times, lights are shining and garlands are hanging or candles are burning, all that remains is to turn on your favorite film “The Irony of Fate” and the whole family sits around the festive table, and also present your loved ones with New Year’s souvenirs of your own making.

IN exhibition center"Worker and Collective Farm Woman" at VDNKh an exhibition of Soviet New Year's toys was held in December-January. The history of Christmas tree decorations began long before the emergence of the USSR, but it was Soviet authority strictly contrasted the Orthodox “bourgeois-noble” Christmas and the Soviet “atheistic” New Year, along with all the inherent holiday attributes. But, despite the changed semantic content of the holiday, the connection with the traditions of decorating christmas tree not lost. Thus, thanks to Soviet ideology, an original and distinctive Christmas tree toy appeared, making up a bright layer cultural heritage Soviet era. Each series of Christmas tree decorations was created under the influence of important historical events, so you can easily trace the history of the great country.

Green beauties were decorated with papier-mâché toys even before the revolution. Balls with stars, a sickle and a hammer appeared later, in the late 30s of the last century. Then toys in the form of stars and astronauts, glass corn and even an Olympic bear were hung on the Christmas trees. In general, all the symbols of our history are collected here. The exhibition features Christmas tree decorations with Soviet symbols: balls with a star, hammer and sickle, toys symbolizing achievements in the field of aeronautics - airships with the inscription "USSR". Almost all the toys at the exhibition are handmade. They were produced in a handicraft and semi-handicraft way. Therefore, even if they were the same shape, all the figures were painted by hand and in different ways, with different colors, with different ornaments. The exhibition, of course, would not be complete without Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, Christmas tree decorations in the form of birds, animals, cones, icicles and glass garlands.

Mounted Christmas tree decorations from the 1920s to the 50s were made by assembling glass tubes and beads using wire. Mounted toys in the form of pendants, parachutes, balloons, airplanes, stars. The technology for making mounting Christmas tree decorations came to us from Bohemia, where they appeared in late XIX century.

Subject musical instruments reflected in Christmas tree decorations of the 1940s-60s. Christmas tree decorations in the form of mandolins, violins, and drums are distinguished by their perfect shape and unique hand-painting.

With the release of the film "The Circus" in 1937, all kinds of clowns, elephants, bears and other circus-themed toys gained great popularity.

The animal world around us is reflected in Christmas tree decorations - bears, bunnies, squirrels, foxes, birds give the New Year tree a special charm. Released in the 1950-60s of the last century.

The underwater world is also reflected in the Christmas tree decorations - all kinds of fish with bright tints of color and unusual shape. Released in the 1950s-70s of the last century.

At the end of the 30s, a series of Christmas tree decorations on an oriental theme were released. Here are Aladdin, and old man Hottabych, and oriental beauties... These toys are distinguished by oriental filigree of shape and hand-painting.

Which New Year without a snowy hut, a Christmas tree in the forest and Santa Claus. The sculptural forms of the huts and the stylization of a roof covered with shiny snow create a unique New Year's mood. Released in the 1960s and 70s.

Christmas tree decorations depicting household items - teapots, samovars - began to appear in the 1940s. They are distinguished by fluidity of form and hand-painting with bright colors.

Santa Clauses made of papier-mâché and cotton wool were the base figures of the Christmas tree assortment in the 1940s-60s. They were called stand-shaped because they were mounted on a wooden stand and installed under the tree. Since the late 1960s, with the development of plastic and rubber production in the USSR, stand figures were made from these materials in a wider range.

And with the release of the film " Carnival Night"In 1956, toys called "Clocks" were released with hands set to 5 minutes to midnight.

Symbols of the Soviet state appeared on Christmas tree decorations in the 1920s and 30s. These were balls with stars, a sickle and a hammer, “Budenovtsy”.

With the development of astronautics and Yu. Gagarin's flight into space, a series of Cosmonauts toys was released in the 1960s. Christmas toys on sports theme released in honor of the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow. A special place among them is occupied by the “Olympic Bear” and the “Olympic Flame”.

Christmas tree decorations “Tops” in the shape of a lance are associated with the design of military helmets from the times of the Kaiser’s Germany: lance-shaped tops for Christmas trees were made there. The Christmas tree toy "Bell" was produced in the 1970s. Thick glass jewelry was made in the first half of the 20th century. Since the glass in those days was thick, with a lead coating on the inside, the weight of the toys was quite significant. Mostly toys depict owls, leaves, balls.

In the early 1950s, Christmas tree decorations associated with China were released - lanterns stylized as Chinese and with the inscription "Beijing" or simply painted in different variations. Interior items (lamps), nesting dolls and children's toys were also reflected in the form of Christmas tree decorations of the 1950s and 60s.

The Christmas tree decorations on display are made using the Dresden cartonage technique, which appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Factories in Dresden and Leipzig produced embossed figures glued together from two halves of convex cardboard, tinted with gold or silver paint. Dresden craftsmen were famous for their particular variety, elegance and finesse of work.

Christmas tree decorations from papier-mâché were made until the middle of the 20th century (papier-mâché is paper pulp mixed with glue, plaster or chalk and coated with Berthollet salt for shine and density). Mostly the figurines depicted people, animals, birds, mushrooms, fruits and vegetables. Toys made from laminated cardboard depict houses, lanterns, bonbonnieres, baskets, etc. They are made using the following technology: cardboard is cut out along the cutting contour using die-cutting tools and glued with wood glue. The finishing materials are various types of paper and textiles. Flag garlands were very popular in the 1930s and 40s. They were made of colored paper with a printed multi-color design.

The cardboard Christmas tree decorations presented in the exhibition are made using the “Dresden cartonage” technique, which appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In our country, after 1920, cardboard Christmas tree decorations were made in private workshops and consisted of two pieces of cardboard glued together with a slight convexity in the form of a pattern. They were covered with foil, silver or colored, and then spray painted with powder paints. As a rule, the figures depicted Russian heroes folk tales"Kolobok", "Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka", "Po pike command...", as well as animals, fish, butterflies, birds, cars, ships, stars, etc. Cardboard Christmas tree decorations were produced in the USSR until the 1980s.

Toys in the form of fruits and berries (grapes, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, lemons) were made after the Great Patriotic War. In the sixties, during the reign of Khrushchev, agricultural-themed toys predominated: eggplants, tomatoes, onions, beans, peas, tomatoes, carrots and corn, cobs of all sizes and colors.

The first Christmas tree “traffic lights” of the 1930s were made for educational purposes, precisely repeating the location of the signal by color. But the “traffic lights”, which were released in the 1960s, have only a decorative purpose - the signals light up in random order. Silver hoof, three girls at the window, Chernomor - characters famous fairy tales. These toys were released in the 1960s and 70s.

A series of Christmas tree decorations based on the fairy tale "Cipollino" by J. Rodari was released in the 1960s, when the book was translated into Russian. Ruler Limon, Cipollino, Cipollone, lawyer Green pea, Doctor Artichoke and other characters - these toys are distinguished by sculpture and realistic painting.

Aibolit, the owl Bumba, the monkey Chichi, the pig Oink-Oink, the dog Ava, the sailor Robinson, the parrot Carudo, the Lion - characters from the fairy tale "Aibolit". Issued in the 1930-60s.

And these guys were probably supposed to symbolize the friendship of peoples))

The snowmen seem more modern. Maybe new job, or maybe they updated it :)

We were pleased with the cucumbers with their natural coloring))

Also, until about the middle of the twentieth century, papier-mâché toys were popular.
I'm a little confused which toys are cotton wool and which ones are made of papier-mâché, they look quite similar. So whoever can tell the difference on their own is a great guy))

It seems to me that the chicken is still made of papier-mâché.

Large figures up to 1 meter, usually depicting Father Frost and the Snow Maiden. They were called stand ones because they were mounted on a wooden stand and placed under the tree. It was these large figures that turned out to be the real long-livers among cotton toys. Several decades after their production ceased, Santa Claus in a fur coat made of cotton wool, but with a face made of polyethylene, could still be purchased at New Year's markets.

They also planted Santa Claus and Snow Maiden on the Christmas tree))
There were also cardboard toys; they consisted of two convex pieces of cardboard glued together. They were covered with silver or colored foil, and then painted using a spray paint with powder paints. Such toys depicted heroes of Russian fairy tales, as well as animals, birds, butterflies, ships, stars, etc. Cardboard toys were produced in the USSR until the 1980s.


The lion is really voluminous :)

Birds in the nest.

Sister Alyonushka.

In the 20-30s, symbols of the state appeared on Christmas tree decorations - balls with stars, a sickle and a hammer, Budenovites.

Assembly toys from the 20s to the 50s were made by assembling glass tubes and beads using wire. Mounted toys in the form of airplanes, parachutes, pendants, stars. The technology for making mounting Christmas tree decorations came to us from Bohemia, where it appeared at the end of the twentieth century.