In Rus', pottery originated in ancient times. At that time, our ancestors paid great attention to ritual holidays. The "whistle dance" was no exception - a celebration honoring the sun god Yaril. On this day, the participants of the holiday exchanged painted clay balls and used clay whistles with might and main. This was the reason for the appearance of ritual accessories, among which the Dymkovo toy took pride of place.
Dymkovo toy was "born" in Kirov. Five centuries ago, beyond the Vyatka River, there was a small settlement of Dymkovo, where Tsar Ivan III ordered to resettle residents from the northern regions of Russia. Among them there were many talented pottery masters who launched active activities in the production of toys in a new place. Entire families were involved in the work process: some mined clay and made mixtures from lump chalk; others sculpted toys; the third - they were burned; the fourth - whitewashed and painted.
For four hundred years the Dymkovo fishery has been developing. During this time, their themes, images, characteristic drawings have developed. There was no place for inexpressive ornaments or dull shades. Dymkovo toy is the embodiment of life in the most joyful colors. It is not surprising that by the beginning of the 19th century whistles from Dymkovo won the love of the inhabitants of all Russia. More than 100 thousand toys were produced per year, which were sold in the capital and the Orenburg province. 59 families from Dymkovo worked on their creation. Among the most famous names were Koshkins, Nikulins.
(Mezrina Anna Afanasievna - a craftswoman of the Dymkovo toy)
At the beginning of the 20th century, "black times" came for the Dymkovo toy. They ceased to enjoy their former popularity, so the famous families of pottery artisans began to look for other ways to earn money. Exclusive whistles began to be replaced by cheap plaster options. Only one craftswoman, Anna Mezrina, remained true to traditional clay production. It is to her that descendants can be grateful for the preservation of the Dymkovo fishery.
(Master E. A. Koshkina and artist A. Denshin)
The artist Alexei Denshin also played an equally important role in continuing the traditions of his ancestors. From a young age, he was fond of the Dymkovo toy, carefully sketching all the known ornaments. Even after the October Revolution, he did not lose hope of drawing attention to folk art: he released handwritten albums, collected collections of toys. His efforts were crowned with success: in the 30s of the 20th century, the Dymkovo craft began to revive in Kirov.
Traditional images of Dymkovo toys are a lady, pets, a turkey. All of them are made in bright colors, calling to show the joy of life. Collectors appreciate figurines, with which you can create certain plot compositions.
Dymkovo toy, despite its canonicity, is exclusive. The fact is that each craftswoman tries to bring her author's developments to the product. Therefore, it is impossible to find two absolutely identical toys.
Among the most popular images that are “played out” in the Dymkovo toy are the following:
Turkey- colorful, like a peacock, with a characteristic beard, decorated with gold leaf. Sizes can be different: from tiny 5 cm to impressive 40 cm;
Lady- this is an exquisite city lady, and a traditional young lady in a kokoshnik. There may be children around. Gold potal also decorates individual details;
Lamb- figurines of this animal can be with different sizes of horns. hallmark is their gilding. Lambs are ordinary or in smart amusing clothes;
horse- the traditional image of the animal in bright blue tones or "in the bull's-eye".
Male images in the Dymkovo toy are played up most often in the form of a rider on a horse, a walking city or village "cavalier". Figurines of pigs, birds, bells are popular.
The process of creating a Dymkovo toy consists of two stages: the formation of a figure and its coloring.
Clay and river sand are used to create the figurine. According to the rules, it should be Vyatka red clay. Each part of the toy is created separately: a body is formed from a spherical lump of clay, on which the rest of the parts are “assembled” (legs, handles, head, accessories, etc.). All parts must be fastened with smooth transitions. This helps to avoid chipping in the future.
The finished image is dried in the open air for several days. Then it is burned on fire. Previously, a Russian stove was used for this. Today - muffle, where the temperature reaches 1000C.
When the blank cools down, it is bleached with tempera paints. Our ancestors used milk for this purpose.
At the next stage of creating a toy - coloring, only pure colors are used without mixing. In the old days, natural dyes based on eggs, milk, soot, vinegar, tempera were taken for this. Today there are ready-made acrylic paints. The main requirement: brightness and naturalness. Be sure to use gold leaf for individual details.
Dymkovo toy is a symbol of joy, vitality. The ornaments that are depicted on it are a smooth painting combined with geometric patterns. The colors are chosen according to the principle of contrast and advantageous underlining each other. The tails of birds, the horns of animals, the details of people's wardrobe are covered with copper sweat (in the old days, thin sheets of gold leaf were taken for this).
Traditional colors of the Dymkovo toy: blue, red, yellow, emerald green, blue, green, orange. White and black paint are used in a minimal amount to emphasize certain areas.
Each color that is involved in the Dymkovo toy has its own meaning: white - symbolizes purity; black is a lie; green - nature; red - strength, health; blue is the sky.
(Sketch by artist Alexey Denshin for a toy)
Old masters diluted paints on egg yolk. The recipes were kept secret. The coloring was carried out in a strict sequence:
The patterns in the Dymkovo toy are closely connected with amulets, symbols of nature. There are solar and lunar signs as a symbol of the origin of life; rhombuses - as a sign of fertility; waves - as a sign of the sky and moisture.
The final touch in the painting was the application of gold leaf.
Today, the Dymkovo toy continues its development. New technologies appear, fresh ideas are born. But the traditions of production remain unchanged.
Dymkovo toy is one of the oldest art crafts in Russia. It has existed for over 400 years and still has not lost its popularity. On the contrary, it enjoys constant success both in our country and far beyond its borders.
The homeland of the trade is the city of Kirov (formerly Vyatka and Khlynov), or rather Dymkovskaya Sloboda, now part of the city
Legend
There is a legend that the origin of the craft is connected with the events of ancient times. One night, two friendly troops met near the city and, not recognizing each other in the dark, went into battle. Many people died in that random battle. Since then, the tradition has gone every spring to celebrate a feast for the dead.
Over time, this story has been forgotten. The celebration, having lost its tragic meaning, turned into mass festivities - a festival of whistling, or pandemonium, on which it was supposed to whistle and throw painted clay balls. Emergence of craft The annual demand for clay whistles and painted balls, as well as own deposits of clay suitable for ceramics, predetermined the fate of Dymkovskaya Sloboda. Gradually, special modeling and painting techniques developed, which made local toys recognizable and in demand.
In the 15th-16th centuries, when the Dymkovo folk toy appeared, the pagan ideas of the Slavs largely lost their significance. Toys of an earlier period were extremely simple in form, because their sacred meaning was considered decisive. With the rejection of pre-Christian rites and rituals, the forms of toys began to change, acquiring sophistication and beauty.
That Dymkovo toy, which is known today, reflects the Russian life of the XIX century. Images of ladies and gentlemen, flaunting in magnificent dresses, appeared at a later time. Nevertheless, the masters carefully preserve the traditions and techniques that developed during the period of the birth of this art. Dymkovo fishing in the Soviet period 
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Dymkovo fishery was practically lost. Only one hereditary craftswoman remained, who kept the traditions of making and painting toys - A. A. Mezrina. Thanks to her and the artist A. I. Denypin, the first researcher of Dymkovo art, the craft was revived in the early 1930s. A group of enthusiasts gathered around Denypin and Mezrina, most of whom were connected by family ties. Through their efforts, the Dymkovo toy has regained its former glory. Crafts live not only thanks to the preservation of traditions, but also under the condition of the appearance of new plots. This is called natural development.
Craftswomen of the 20-30s of the 20th century significantly enriched the set of images of the Dymkovo toy. A. A. Mezrina quite strictly observed the traditional rules of modeling and painting. E. A. Koshkina made group compositions popular. Especially famous is her work "Sale of Dymkovo Toys", made for an international exhibition in Paris in 1937. E. I. Penkina switched her attention to the depiction of everyday prose subjects, and O. I. Konovalova (daughter of the craftswoman Mezrina) is known for her love for the depiction of animals.
Dymkovo toy: history, images and plots
For all its outward simplicity, the Dymkovo toy is very imaginative and expressive. History keeps images of the first products of Dymkovo craftswomen, which were more conditional than decorative. Modern toys are more varied and artistic. Adherents of craft love to repeat that there are no two identical figures. However, the whole variety of their species can be divided into five main groups (See table in PDF).
Form features
All Dymkovo toys are monolithic and even monumental. They always expand downwards: ladies due to puffy skirts, gentlemen are always on horseback, animals have short and stable legs. Such forms are due to manufacturing technology. It is almost impossible to sculpt figures on thin long legs, because it is necessary to make sure that they do not settle under the weight of the body during drying. 
Stages of making a Dymkovo toy
The manufacturing technology is quite simple. The Dymkovo toy is made in stages. Main stages: modeling, drying and firing, whitewashing and painting. Let's dwell on each of them in more detail.
Modeling Dymkovo toys
Sculpt Dymkovo toys in parts. First, balls of various sizes are rolled from washed, greasy clay diluted with sand. Then they are flattened to obtain flat cakes, from which the body of the toy is made. Smaller parts (arms, heads, tails) are attached to the body. The places where the parts are fastened are abundantly moistened with water, then the joints are smoothed with a damp cloth. Align the figure with wet fingers. For example, the manufacture of a lady begins with the modeling of a cone-shaped skirt. A torso with a slightly elongated neck is attached to it. A ball depicting a head is fixed on the neck. A little lower is a sausage, from which arms folded at the waist are made with gentle movements. After that, it's time to dress up the toy. She is given a hairdo of twisted curls, a hat or a kokoshnik, a patterned scarf is thrown over her shoulders, or a jacket with a puffy collar and sleeves is made. And, finally, a handbag, a dog or a child are given into the hands of a woman. The Dymkovo toy horse consists of the following parts: a cylindrical body, four short cone-shaped legs, a curved neck, turning into an elongated muzzle. After the base of the toy is ready, it is supplemented with a mane, tail and small ears.
Drying and firing
Each Dymkovo toy must go through a drying stage before firing, the duration of which depends on the size of the figurine, as well as on the characteristics of the room (humidity, air temperature, etc.). On average, this stage takes from 2-3 days to 2-3 weeks. After that, it's time for the roasting. Previously, it was made in a Russian oven on an iron pan placed directly above the firewood. The toys were heated red-hot and then left to cool in the same oven. Now special electrical equipment is used for firing, which made the process less time-consuming and dangerous.
Whitewash
After firing in the oven, the toy becomes red-brown, so it is bleached before applying the patterns. For this, a special solution is prepared from chalk powder and milk. When milk is soured, this solution hardens, forming a uniform casein layer on the surface of the toy. Numerous attempts to change the composition and method of applying whitewash did not give positive results. The hue turned out to be yellowish, and the texture was uneven, so whitewashing is still done in the way that was used several centuries ago. This technology is abandoned only in some cases, for example, in children's creativity, when crafts are made junior group. Dymkovo toy in this case is painted with ordinary gouache.
painting
After the whitewash dries, the stage of painting begins - the application of simple patterns with bright colors. The choice of colors is small: blue, orange, green, brown, yellow, crimson. Additional colors can be obtained by diluting the main ones with chalk. So, bleached blue and crimson give blue and pink, respectively. Instead of brushes, in the old days they used wooden sticks wrapped in linen. Therefore, the ornament was extremely simple: straight or wavy lines, circles, rhombuses, etc. At present, craftswomen use brushes from a column or a ferret. By the way, a raw egg is added to the paint. This allows you to make the colors more saturated and gives the figure a shine. Lastly, the toy is decorated with gold leaf. Geometric figures cut out of it are glued to the hats and collars of ladies, ears or horns of animals. From this, the Dymkovo toy acquires a special festiveness.
Painting, as a rule, is applied according to a certain pattern. The faces of the humans are pretty much the same. Cheeks and mouth are outlined with raspberry paint, arches of eyebrows and round eyes are drawn with black. Hair is dyed predominantly in a dark color: black or brown. Shirts and headdresses are made monophonic, and ladies' skirts and animal skins are ornamented over white.
Ornament
All toys are decorated with a strict ornament from geometric shapes: circles, stripes, cells, rhombuses and zigzags. Craftswomen do not think over the pattern in advance. It is born in the process of painting, depending on the shape and size of the figurine. Therefore, it is generally accepted that the connection between the decor and the base is inseparable, and it is impossible to find two identical toys.
Drawing a Dymkovo toy
Despite the deliberate simplicity of the ornament, it is very symbolic and depicts important concepts for a Russian person. So, a wavy line is associated with a river or water in a broad sense, cells formed by intersecting lines resemble a log house or a well, and a circle with a dot in the center is a symbol of the sun and other heavenly bodies.
The figurines themselves and the painting covering them reflect the life and beliefs of the Russian people.
The current state of the fishery
The Dymkovo field still does not have serial production. Each toy is handmade, made according to all the canons that have evolved over the centuries. Each craftswoman has her own recognizable handwriting, each product is unique and unrepeatable. Thanks to this, the craft does not lose its popularity. The pandemonium holiday has not been celebrated for a long time, so Dymkovo toys have lost their ritual significance. Now they serve as bright souvenirs and a reminder of the rich history and culture of the Russian people. Today, not only individual enthusiasts, but also entire organizations - commercial, state, public - are in favor of the preservation and development of the fishery.
So, in 2010, in the center of Kirov (formerly Vyatka), with the participation of Megafon, a monument to the Dymkovo toy was erected. It is a sculptural group called "Family", which includes a lady with a baby in her arms, a gentleman playing the harmonica, a child and pets. Dymkovo folk toy
In 2014, at the opening of the Olympics in Sochi, among other assets of Russian art, a Dymkovo toy was also presented.
Dymkovo toys - along with other art crafts - speak of the richness and originality of Russian culture
View works folk art(Dymkovo, Bogorodsk, Filimonovo folk toys; Khokhloma, Gorodets, Gzhel paintings and other products). Compose a story for preschool children about one of the types of arts and crafts.
Target: To give children elementary knowledge on the history of the emergence of the Dymkovo toy in an accessible form for them, to acquaint them with the procedure for its manufacture.
To give knowledge about the elements of the pattern.
Raise interest and respect for the work of folk craftsmen.
Educator: Guys, I have long wanted to introduce you to my favorite toys that my grandmother gave me. Sit back and I'll tell you how they appeared.
caregiver : A long time ago, beyond the dense forests, beyond the distant seas, on the banks of the blue river Vyatka, opposite the city of Kirov, there was a large village. Every morning people got up, lit the stoves, and blue smoke curled from the chimneys. There are a lot of houses and a lot of smoke. So they called that village Dymkovo ....
Skillful, craftsmen settled here. They found clay on the bank of the river, began to sculpt dishes from it, and then toys for their children.
Clay was usually collected in the spring and mixed with fine clean sand from the river. Preparing clay for work is not an easy task: it is chopped with a shovel, mixed many times, poured with water and mixed again, and earlier they kneaded with their feet. The finished clay is rolled into balls, from which toys are then molded.
When the craftsmen sculpted, their main assistants were a sharp splinter and a wet rag. With a splinter, the master removed excess clay, and with a wet cloth smoothed out all the bumps and roughness, and the toy turned out to be even and smooth. After that, the toy was dried for several days, and then fired in a Russian oven for 3-4 hours.
The teacher draws the attention of children to toys.
Educator: Look closely at the figurines. What do they have in common? That's right, they are all white. This color is obtained because the fired figurines are dipped in a special mixture of milk and chalk. The figurines become white, and any paints are well applied to this white coating.
Paints are used in different colors. Which? That's right: green, red, crimson, yellow, orange, blue.
The master had a lot of colors - all colors and shades, so the toys turned out bright and cheerful. The brushes for painting were homemade from splinter and rags, but one was always made from the hairs of an animal that lived in the Dymkovo forests. With this brush they painted the faces of young ladies, painted the eyes of animals. And the pattern was made by craftswomen from circles, rings, dots, wavy lines, stripes, cells, ovals.
Each element of the Dymkovo painting means something. The circle is a symbol of the sun, a loaf of bread; dot - stars; wavy line - water; a straight line is a road.
All toys are not simple,
And magically painted:
Snow-white, like birches,
Circles, cells, stripes -
Simple. It would seem that the pattern
But you can't look away.
What do you think, with what mood did our masters sculpt and paint these toys?
Look what they are!
And smart, and new:
painted sleigh,
Bear with an accordion,
Mustache soldier.
Goat - golden horns
Yes, a doll in earrings.
Colorful, bright, glorious gifts!
Bright, beautiful toys were loved by people and bought them with pleasure. The craftsmen took them to fairs to sell their toys. People from different places gathered there for a walk, and it was called "Whistle" or "Whistle Dance", because Dymkovo's toys were not simple. Many of them were whistles. From these whistles the name of the festivities came.
Educator: Guys, did you like my story? Then let's paint our toys together and make a fun fair.
The teacher distributes toys to the children.
And so that our toy comes out beautiful, we need to repeat:
What colors will we use?
What elements do you remember? What are they called and what do they symbolize?
With what mood will we paint our toys?
Not only the Vyatka region, where it is made, but throughout Mother Russia. It has practically the same world significance as the balalaika and matryoshka. These dazzling white clay figurines with bright unique drawings win the heart of the one who sees them once and for all.
For children, there is no greater joy than whistling into a painted whistle. And, looking at this, one wants to laugh and joke, because bright colors and contrasting drawings set one in an extremely positive mood, as our contemporaries say. And our ancestors, who invented this miracle, would say that the heart rejoices at such a toy!
The technology for making these clay souvenirs originated in (now the Kirov region), in a pottery settlement called Dymkovo, about 400 years ago. Here the Goat, a rooster, a ram, a woman in a bright sundress appeared - initially, mainly women and animals served as models for future painted crafts. Later, the plots expanded, male and children's figurines, carousels and entire sculptural groups appeared. Manufacturing technology was inherited. At first it was a family business, and later it was exclusively women's business.
The impetus for the emergence of these unique figurines was the celebration of the "Whistle". It was for this holiday that the Dymkovo toy was made. The story, interesting for children and adults, tells about the origin of this tradition.
They began to celebrate this day in memory of the Vyatchans and Ustyuzhans who died in 1418. At first, every year they celebrated a feast for the dead. Then it turned into a folk festival, accompanied by whistling from clay whistles. For this holiday, local craftsmen got the hang of making bright and vociferous figurines, which later received the name “Dymkovo toy”. The story, which began for children and their merry whistles, was continued, because adults also fell in love with these whistles. And later toys were added to them.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the manufacture of Dymkovo toys ceased. And only in the thirties of the twentieth century it revived again.
The story, told for children and adults, told about when and for what purpose painted clay figurines were made in Vyatchina, but it did not say how they were made.
They were sculpted from then dried (for 20-25 days), and then fired in a kiln. Finished figurines were covered with chalk, diluted cow's milk, painted with egg paints, supplemented with potal rhombuses (imitation of gold). Traditional colors: bright red, yellow, blue, green. Pattern - geometric (circles, rhombuses, stripes, cells) with the addition of floral motifs. To make the colors brighter, the painted toy was smeared with a beaten egg.
Today, the ancient Vyatka craft is widely known and popular in our country and abroad. For us, this is the same symbol of the motherland as Gzhel, Palekh, Khokhloma. In the center of the city of Kirov, a sculptural composition "Family" is installed, depicting toys that glorified these places. In 2011, a museum was opened, the main and only theme of which was the Dymkovo toy. A dance with the same name is staged in children's and adult dance groups throughout Russia.
Let's hope that for many years we, our children and grandchildren will admire these cheerful and elegant figurines.
"Dymkovo toy" is one of the oldest toys in Russia, born in the Kirov region, in the village of Dymkovo more than 400 years ago. Until now, toy masters are devoted to their traditions. The Dymkovo toy is very valuable for children, as it conveys the traditions of their ancestors and is environmentally friendly.
Among the crafts for making clay toys, which are actively developing today, one of the prominent places is occupied by Dymkovo, because the first craftswomen lived in the Zarechenskaya Dymkovskaya Sloboda, which is located on the right bank of the Vyatka, opposite the city of Kirov. In Dymkovo, wonderful craftswomen still live in making world-famous Dymkovo clay painted toys. Their creativity goes back to ancient times, but the written history of Dymkovo toys covers only a little more than a century and a half.For the first time, the Vyatka, brightly colored whistle toy is mentioned in the description of the Whistle Dance holiday in Vyatka in 1811. On this day, in the morning, in a dilapidated chapel near the city gates, the inhabitants of the city commemorated their ancestors, and in the afternoon, walking along the streets, they whistled into small whistles. Whistler dolls made of clay, painted with bright colors, were sold here, on the street. The red-cheeked Dymkovo “feeders”, “water-carriers”, “ladies” are full of amusing importance and dignity, and the ram whistles in pants, the daring horsemen are cheerful and provocative. These charming figurines have long outgrown the framework of toys for children, they are taken away as souvenirs to all countries of the world, and at home they are used as a funny sculptural decoration.
Haze is really a unique toy, because each toy is unique and unique in its own way. Each has its own pattern and ornament. “Usually a toy consists of several parts. Red clay provides the ability to “glue” all the details together without seams,” says Oksana Romanova, Dymka’s sculpture and painting teacher at the Amphora Ceramics Academy.
The finished toy is left to dry for 5-7 days, and then it is placed in an oven and fired at a temperature of 900 degrees Celsius. Then whitening is applied. No one knows for sure when and who first came up with the white haze coating. Its predecessors - clay balls and whistles - were either black (they are resin) or red, the color of clay. Some believe that the bleaching of toys began in the early 19th century, when porcelain was in vogue among the elites. “Peasants, seeing porcelain in their masters' homes, adopted a white background, which was made from powdered chalk that had been diluted in milk. The toy was dipped into the mixture and then allowed to dry. When it dried, the milk would spoil, allowing the primer to stick very well,” Romanova explained. People were also very creative in their preparation of flowers, using egg yolk, egg white and kvass. Despite the limited possibilities of the peasant, the color range was wide and bright. Pale shades are never used in the making of Haze, and patterns are often plain. The first masters did not have special tools, and sometimes they did not even have brushes.
Dymkovo toy makers were inspired by objects from life. “They sculpted everything they saw around them: animals, scenes from peasant life, fishermen, women with kokoshniks, beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen they saw at fairs,” Romanova said.In Soviet times, Dymka masters presented topics related to scientific and space achievements; for example, a man and a woman in spacesuits standing under an apple tree, such as Adam and Eve, are very popular among Smoky's collectors. It is believed that these characters represent Gagarin and Tereshkova.Funny and stupid events from the life of the masters themselves also penetrated into the art form. Zoya Penkina, the hereditary master of Dymka, was inspired by the Moscow metro and created a composition with an agitated woman who gets stuck in a turnstile and is met by an old man who helps her get out.The toy from Dymkovo in its traditional form could have disappeared 100 years ago, but it was saved from oblivion by Anna Mezrina, the only Dymka craftsman who traditionally sculpted toys, and Alexei Denshin, an artist from the city of Vyatka. He popularized the craft, published albums, organized national and international exhibitions, organized workshops and supplied the craftsmen with all the necessary tools.
Later, the Kirov Union of Artists created an Artistic Council to evaluate the use of traditional canons in the manufacture of Dymka. Toys not prepared according to tradition were immediately destroyed with a hammer. This method prevented the emergence of a new branch of the unconventional Dymkovo Toy.At first, the production of Dymka was taught in families, and knowledge was passed from mother to daughter. But by the 60s, philosophy became less rigid, and students could be taken not from relatives. Future masters had to pass an exam in painting, drawing and composition and pass a unique test: a simple figure was put in front of the students, from which they had to make an exact copy. They copied these common toys until they reached perfection and then created their own molds. A long time ago, many people wanted to become Masters of the Smoke, but today there are only 7 to 15 people in the school.
The largest collection of "Dymkovo toys"can be found in the museum and "Dymkovo toys" and in the Art Museum of Vyatka Vasnetsov.
Technique for making a Dymkovo sculpture toy uncomplicated. The toy is molded from pre-prepared red oily clay, to which a small amount of pure river sand is added. Crumpled clay is applied to a pine or spruce board and they start modeling. They begin to sculpt from the main, massive part - the body of animals, and the lady from the mortar - from a wide skirt, for which they roll a pancake from clay and roll it into a cone. The remaining, smaller parts are attached to the main part, and the holes are pierced with sticks (piercers). After that, the toy is polished with a wet finger, then dried in the air, but not in the sun. Small toys dry out in two days, and large ones in a week or even two. After drying, the toy is fired in a muffle electric furnace at a temperature of up to 900 ° C, fired small toys are immersed several times in a solution of ground and sifted chalk in skimmed milk, large ones are covered twice with the same solution. Such a solution forms a strong snow-white “casein” soil on the clay surface of the toy. Then the toy is painted with tempera (ground on egg yolk), and sometimes with aniline or gouache paints. The pattern of Dymkovo toys is peculiar and consists of bright round spots, circles, small peas, cells, stripes, etc. To enhance the decorative effect, sometimes small squares and other figures made of gold and silver leaf are pasted on them.
Dymkovo toys are similar to each other, but two identical figures cannot be found. In addition, each craftswoman works in her own individual manner. Dymkovo toys are also distinguished by the perfect correspondence of the painting to the shape of the product. Along with archaic, fabulous images of deer, two-headed horses, birds, images of bears, domestic animals presented in unusual situations, appeared in the assortment of toys. For example, a musician bear playing the balalaika, a goat dressed in funny pants - all this enhances the feeling of the toy's festiveness.
Interest in the everyday genre, transmitted in a rather peculiar way, manifested itself in the expansion of the theme of Dymkovo toys. Riders, ladies and gentlemen, nannies and nurses appear in the toy from the urban life of the last century. Very simplified poses, character movements, appropriate clothing retain the conventionality that comes from the old toy, but very accurately convey the type.
Genre scenes, representing multi-figure compositions, depict today's life of the city and the village: festivities and tea drinking, a circus performance and a company trip in a boat. All this is close to traditional motifs, which gives the toys credibility and shows a kind of connection between the origins of the Dymkovo craft and modern searches. At present, Dymkovo toys are mainly made in the workshops of the Kirov House of Artists, some artists work in Dymkovo.
