These beautiful dolls are known in America as "nesting" dolls, "nestling" dolls, or "stacking" dolls. Today, the Matryoshka has become the symbol of Russian artistic creativity throughout the world. This extremely unique art form has a history within Russia of over 100 years, while nesting dolls themselves are said to have a history of at least 1,000 years!

The first doll within Russia is believed to have been made in the 1890's by a Russian named Zvedochkin, who was the best toy-maker of his time in the village of Sergiev Posad. Zvedochkin made this first doll from sketches drawn by another Russian named Malyutin. Malyutin is said to have gotten the idea from a Japanese toy that a friend's wife had brought back from the Island of Honshu. This Japanese toy was of a bald-headed old man--a sage —containing several other figures nestled inside one another. However, the Japanese claim that the first doll on the Island of Honshu was made by a Russian monk who lived there! Zvedochkin's doll was of a girl holding a black rooster, which contained within her a boy, which inside of him was another girl, and so on. The smallest figure was of a baby swaddled. Reproductions of this first doll, called the “Rooster Girl” are available.