Until the end of August, the attic of the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre hosts the exhibition “Traditional Estonian Toys”, curated by the Tartu Toy Museum.
The exhibition showcases the toys that Estonian farmhouse children used to play with at a time when there was no electricity in homes and no cars on the roads. Come and discover how cleverly people used every material nature had to offer — from scraps of cloth to strips of birch bark! Even in the past, toys were designed to be educational — such as a “gypsy lock” puzzle made from wooden sticks, a wire trick toy, or a birch-bark cat-shaped bag.
The exhibition also features modern board games and toys created by students and alumni of the Viljandi Culture Academy of the University of Tartu. These new creations draw inspiration from traditional Estonian crafts — mittens and sock patterns are knitted into plush animals, and beautiful embroidery along with the bright colours of folk costumes are reflected in the designs of stuffed toys, dolls and board games.
If you’d like to see more toys that children have played with through the ages, be sure to visit the Tartu Toy Museum!
