Vesyolykh praznikaf! Happy Holidays with Skazki Dereva

TLDR:

• Skazki Dereva is a small toy shop, based in Russia.
• They specialize in Waldorf toys, especially as how they relate to both American and Russian fairy tales.
• Their toys are handmade and use birch, beech, and linden wood.
• Their quality is at least as good as, if not better than, Ostheimer or Raduga Grez

I am beginning to think that I should just move to Russia and be done with it. Between Raduga Grez and Skazki Dereva, I would be in wooden toy heaven. From it’s intricate wooden puzzles and stackable fairy tale figures, they truly have something for any age group. Maybe I will make it a resolution for this New Year.

Let’s get down to the basics: Skazki Dereva was founded by Michael Maschinets and Iva Derugina. Maschinets was a teacher at a Waldorf school with a passion for carpentry. He combined these two ventures to develop Waldorf-aligned toys. He made the wooden blanks and Iva Derugina painted them by hand.

Their toys are made primarily from birch, occasionally beech. For the larger toys, Skazki Dereva uses linden. The toys are designed with child development in mind. Puzzles encourage sequencing and organization. Aside from that, small world play and imagination is encouraged when the child recognizes their favorite characters from the stories they have heard or read.

Skazki Dereva was founded in the town, Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered part of “The Golden Ring”. The latter is a collection of cities that have played crucial parts in Russia’s history. Yaroslavl played a huge part in Skazki Dereva’s development in two ways. One, it is a city that engages in tourism, exposing Skazki Dereva to more eyes, assisting them with getting their footing. Secondly, their toy range previously included souvenirs with a church and a bear. A bear with an ax is at the heart of the Yaroslavl crest. Honestly, if you don’t have a wooden bear with an ax in your playroom, I’m disappointed in you.

During my conversations with Skazki Dereva, this quote stuck out to me. I had been asking about the translation of the company’s name and they replied “In Russian, “tree” and “wood” are one word, so we are talking about fairy tales that both a living plant and wood as material, can tell.” That struck me dumb for a moment. Both the original organic organism and the subsequent material is respected in that congruence. I think that’s at the part of what is at the heart of Skazki Dereva’s workshop: a reverence for the materials.

It’s no secret that these toys are heavily influenced by Waldorf pedagogy. Anyone who has spent more than a passing look at Waldorf can recognize the emphasis on fairy tales, natural materials, and creativity. Both Russian and traditional tales feature here, from “The Turnip” to the “Town Musicians of Bremen”.

Yet, despite it’s origins, they definitely appeal to a wide range of people with children. For us, we have been reading certain fairy tales and introducing the figures during the telling. Below is their extremely detailed “3 Little Pigs” set. The first two houses are made of two pieces, so as to collapse when the Big Bad Wolf blows them down. The third house is sturdy enough to support the smart pig, as well as his slovenly brothers.

This Christmas is another COVID Christmas, with fewer of our family gathered around the tree, with FaceTime taking the place of a huge dinner time. But something about these toys on the mantle, makes the house feel warmer and cozier. Something made with love, sent with care, and cherished by my child…that’s hard to come by.

I’m sure you’ve finished your holiday shopping, but if you haven’t or you happen to be reading this later in 2022, pop in and check out their Etsy. PEARLS12 will get you 12% off any order over $50. Click here!

Sidenote: We were kindly gifted these items by Skazki Dereva.