Uniqueness of handmade wooden toys from the Czech Republic...
The Czech Republic is renowned for its traditional and unique handmade wooden toys. They also have a famous saying ‘Kdo si hraje nezlobí’ which means - A person who plays does not have time to be naughty - I couldn't agree more!
Just recently Czech Republic was named as the No. 1 exporter out of all the European Union states with a large portion going to countries such as the United States, Russia, Japan and South Korea.
The magical creations of Czech Toy Makers...
Czech toy makers have been creating magical toys to entertain both children and adults for centuries. Handmade toys of all sorts are still popular in Czech Republic today and are continually growing in popularity worldwide each year. The revival of retro-style toys is helping to keep these valuable crafts and traditions alive. These traditional toys include wooden press up toys from Detoa, wooden pull alongs from Miva Vacov and tin toy tractors from Kovap which are all a treasured part of our collection. Little has changed in the way of design and production over time, simply because there has never been any need to...why change something so beautiful and perfect in it's own right?!
Popular Czech Wooden Toys - Traditional Marionettes...
One of the most popular, and well known wooden toys in Europe are the traditional marionettes which Czech Republic is still famous for. These beautifully handcrafted puppets date back to the 17th Century and were initially used as a cheap substitute for actors in theatre plays. In Czech, these historical plays were performed only for adult audiences and were initially shown in small villages. They were the only plays that were able to be performed in the Czech language during the war.
Later on these puppeteers became cultural icons, who were responsible for helping to preserve the language and culture of the Czech people.
They are still a very popular art form and source of entertainment for both children and adults, as well as being a very special collectible and souvenir for travellers.
Even today, you can attend puppeteer classes, marionette workshops as well as theatre plays featuring some incredible hand carved characters.
The fact that this art form and many other toy making skills and traditions have managed to survive such a tumultuous history and still be viable professions, is well and truly testament to the Czech people, their strong will, perseverance and dedication to preserving their rich culture.
Traditional Toy Stores in the Czech Republic...
If you ever have the opportunity to explore Prague and Czech Republic then you must visit some of the beautiful, traditional stores while you're there. You'll find a huge collection of traditional handmade treasures including wooden toys, jewellery, art, glassware and much more so you're sure to find something original and unique.
Thank you for reading! If you have anything you'd like to share then be sure to let us know in the comments.
Amy.