January 2011, Issue 12
Dollhouse Tourism, Hungary
Page 24
Hungary was under Soviet supervision for 40 years after WWII, which certainly affected the country's culture from every aspect. The wealthy people's toys either were destroyed during the war or were simply thrown away during the next decade. Dozens of dollhouses, model trains, antique dolls and bears ended up in a garbage heap.
Surprisingly, one of the most popular hobbies during those years was paper napkin collecting. Every bigger restaurant, milk bar and confectionary had its own design, and a paper napkin was a typical thing that was easy to bring from abroad, too.
As Hungary was an agricultural country the toys reflected this lifestyle. They were made of such rustic materials as pottery, wood, twigs and corn cobs. The corn cob was the basic material for dolls, typically made by mothers for their young ones. The clothes of these dolls were made of corn leaves and they used the natural corn hair as the hair of the dolls. Corn was a widely used material for many things, as the leaves are perfect for making smaller or bigger baskets, boxes, etc.
Custom Dolls, Houses & Miniatures / CDHM