Bogorodsk wooden toys

Bogorodskaya toys are wooden carved figures of animals, birds, and people doing various tasks such as pecking chicken, bears chopping the wood, or hare playing musical instruments. These toys are excellent educational materials for the kids and will be a lot of fun for the whole family.


Bogorodskaya toys are known since the 17th century. According to a legend the first toy was made in a poor peasant family in a small village of Bogorodskoe (close to Sergiev Posad). A mother was trying to entertain her kids. She made a doll from fabric, but her kids tore it. She made a new one out of a straw but it soon fell apart. Finally, she carved a wooden toy for them. This doll was durable and the kids played with it for a long time. Their father later took it to a fair and sold it. The merchant who bought it found it very amusing and ordered quite a lot of them. Since then, they say most of the villagers of Bogorodskoe are engaged in "toy" craft.

The toys are very inexpensive and great at developing the fine motor skills of the little children.  A child will need to wiggle the toy gently to make the chicken peck seeds or a hare to play drums.

You can find these toys during your Moscow tours in Sergiev Posad, Izmailovo market, or some souvenir shops in the city. You'll visit the Sergiev Posad market during your Moscow in a 3-day tour.