What Belarusian children played at the beginning of the 20th century

Even toys eventually turn into relics, at least family ones. It is so gratifying and touching when the granddaughter swaddles her grandmother’s doll, and the son prepares a whole battalion of dad’s tin soldiers for the next counterattack...

Antistress for children

Whatever toy store you go to today, your head is spinning from the variety of products, more and more, however, of Chinese origin. If only the children played with these things, which, according to the assurances of the sellers, will entertain and calm, and even teach something. In fact, dolls with vampire faces, hyped novelties of anti-stress and puzzles are increasingly gathering dust in the corners, while their little owners are busy with other games — uploaded to all kinds of gadgets.

Barbie and Ken, Lego and Tetris

Children of the 1980s and 90s had a more reverent attitude towards toys. The girls dreamed of Barbie and Ken, not of pathetic Chinese fakes, but of real ones with bending arms and legs. Baby dolls were also popular, the sizes and shapes resembling real babies. The boys glued models of airplanes. They built cities of the future and entire space galaxies from Lego (oh, those who had the original designer were considered lucky!). Gradually, portable game consoles came into fashion — Chef and Wolf & Eggs (ELEKTRONIKA Game Watch IM 02), and they were replaced by the notorious Tetris puzzle.

‘Best Things to the Children!’

Big talking, dancing and singing dolls, beautiful brides and Cinderellas, pyramids in the form of Kremlin towers, huge shiny tumblers, growling teddy bears, wooden cars and trains, which are exactly like real ones, are also remembered by children of the post-war period. Surely, even in families of modest means, adults tried to buy the desired toy for the New Year or for a birthday of their adored baby. It is not for nothing that the ‘Best Things to the Children!’ phrase, attributed to the leader of the world proletariat, is firmly rooted among the people.

Bebe Dolls, Leno and nurses

But how impressive was the assortment of toys in the Minsk Trading House of Ilya Kaplan at the beginning of the 20th century! The store that sold all sorts of things was known far beyond the city limits. For high-quality, albeit expensive products, people came from different regions of present-day Belarus and beyond. Judging by the catalogs of the supplier of the store of the N. Vetter and E. Ginkel Moscow JSC, the choice of goods for children was huge — for every taste and, of course, the wealth of parents.
Happiness was to run steam trains on tin rails, which were sold from 5 to 10 rubles apiece! It was possible to purchase finely carved semaphores for the railway, wholesale up to 7 rubles 20 kopecks, and arc station lights up to 4 rubles 60 kopecks per dozen. And I would completely complement the picture with tin railway booths with barriers — from 80 kopecks to 2 rubles 10 kopecks apiece.
As we can see, far from poor people could please the heirs with such toys. At the same time, wholesale prices are indicated in the catalog. At retail, these gizmos cost 20-50 percent more commercially. It was also easy enough to captivate beloved daughters. After all, the best gift for a girl is, of course, a toy toddler. 
Dads, being generous, bought Bebe Dolls with hinged porcelain heads. Depending on the size and configuration, their wholesale cost reached as much as 80 rubles. Just incredible money!
But clockwork dolls on wheels were also available to buyers with an average income. They cost from 85 to 90 kopecks apiece. The same can be said about swaddled papier-mâché Leno Dolls. For a dozen of these babies they gave from 60 kopecks. A soft doll with a wig and closing eyes cost 22 kopecks, and a nursing doll with a baby in her arms or in a cradle would cost 30–60 kopecks.
Circus performances were probably popular at that time. Favorite events, especially among young spectators, were, of course, clown tricks. So in the Kaplan store, tin clockwork figurines of cheerful characters were presented for every taste — with flutes, violins, cymbals, drums, playing the cello, as well as with monkeys, pigs, on stilts... Such stuff cost from 2 rubles 60 kopecks per dozen. The most expensive of the assortment was a clown with a face-changing fan: 12 figurines would cost 8 rubles 40 kopecks.
Clockwork carousels were also an expensive pleasure. And if a dozen snowmobiles could be purchased for 5 rubles 40 kopecks, then the price of clockwork foreign carousels reached up to 40 rubles!

Almost like Teddy

One of the legends about the origin of the teddy bear, which has long won the hearts of both children and adults in different parts of the world, is that it comes from Germany. It is believed that the first bear, standing on two legs and shaking its head, was made by the seamstress Margret, who was confined to a wheelchair since childhood. However, the illness did not prevent the girl from opening a workshop, and eventually a toy factory, from which more than one thousand cubs scattered around the world.
Teddy bears, with and without a roar, as well as hares, donkeys, monkeys, were also presented in the Minsk store. Bear cubs cost from 60 kopecks to 6 rubles 50 kopecks apiece. It was possible to purchase other ‘animals’ approximately for the same price.

‘How I love my little horse!…’

A real rider felt like a toddler, to whom his parents bought a wooden horse. After all, it was covered with skin, with a tail and a mane. And also with a removable saddle and harness. Dream, not just a horse! 


The cost of one rocking chair reached 7 rubles 80 kopecks. By the way, in the catalog of Vetter-Ginkel, there was a postscript to the horses that they were not in stock, and the goods had to be ordered two weeks in advance and for at least 20 rubles.
By the way, such horses, plush elephants and bears can gather dust, forgotten, somewhere else in old closets or in attics, becoming more and more valuable every year. Does your family keep mom’s favorite doll, dad’s railroad, or grandpa’s wood carved car? 


By Vladimir Likhodedov
Photos from the personal collection of Vladimir Likhodedov