Have you ever seen the original Jurassic Park movie? The concept is based on the whimsical idea that scientists can clone Dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures that have been trapped in fossilized amber by extracting their preserved DNA.

Juanito Rostagno, proprietor of the Mano de Dios Amber Mine in the Jurassic Park movie.

While this idea may have been far-fetched at the time it was written, scientists today are using amber to learn some pretty interesting things. In the Discover Magazine ar...

Just like each figurine is unique, so are the reasons to buy one. One of our favorite customer stories comes from a mother of a young boy. She told us that her son was bugging her for a dog for quite sometime, but she doubted that he was responsible enough to handle all the care taking that goes along with it, so she decided to give her son a small dog glass figurine to carry around with him throughout the school day, and if he was could take the care not to break it for two weeks, she would buy...

About Russian Ushanka Hats

Of all the symbols of Russian apparel, none is more prominent than the ushanka hat. Instantly recognizable, this extremely comfortable and warm hat has become a fashion icon as of late. When most people think of Russia, the classic ushanka style hat is one of the first things that comes to mind…

Whether the weather is chilly, or you just want to look good, the ushanka is the way to go. Seen on servicemen and women, mail carriers, police officers, and any profession that’...

If you are planning a visit to Moscow (with your children), there are quite a few opportunities both for you and for your children. And Moscow Zoo is one of them.

The Moscow Zoological garden was founded by the All-Russia Emperor Society for Acclimatization of Plants and Animals in the middle of XIX century. Throughout its more than 100-year history the zoo experienced its ups and downs, it was almost destroyed after the Revolution, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union and economic crisis o...

(Russian: Баба Яга и Гуси-Лебеди, Baba Yaga i Gusi-Lebedi)

Once upon a time, there lived a man and his wife. They had a daughter and a little son. One day the mother said to her daughter: "Darling, your father and I are going to work. Take care of your brother, keep an eye on him and don’t leave the house. Be a good girl and we will bring you a present."

After parents left the house, the girl forgot her mother’s instructions, and left her little brother in the garden near the house so she could pl...

The matryoshka doll is known for her chubby and cheerful cheeks, her perfectly shaped and smiling lips, and her big and bright eyes. She almost always wears a traditional Russian scarf or shawl around her head, neck, and/or shoulders. She holds at least two more smaller and similar matryoshki inside of her.

She is famous. She is Mother Russia.

But what about the men? They can be hard to find, but here are some manly matryoshkas for you!

Sporty Mantryoshkas

Sports-themed nesting dolls do not have to ...

Nesting Dolls are not limited to only decorative or entertainment purposes, in fact the only limit to their use is your own creativity. We’ve gotten many calls, and emails from teachers, telling us how they use Nesting Dolls in their lesson plans…

Nesting Doll Math 101:

The obvious educational use of these dolls would be teaching young children the basics of counting; open one doll, open two dolls, open three, and so on, and so forth. In fact we have a series of dolls called counting dolls for jus...

On Russia being the biggest country in the world:

• Russia is so big, it spans 9 time zones. (reduced from 12)
• There are 80 nightclubs in Moscow alone.
• Vodka accounts for 10% of the government’s income.
• Russia has 12 seas!
• Russia covers 1/7th of the total land of planet Earth.

Russian Factoids about arts & culture:

• Many famous writers come from Russia. Alexander Pushkin, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Nikolai Gogol, just to name a few.
• Does the name Anna Pavlova mean anything to you? She was one of the most famous ballet dancers of her time.
• Russia launched the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin.
• Religious icons are very important to Russian people; many houses have at least one.
• Tea and bread are always offered to guests… Russians are #1 for hospitality!

More "facts" and "toids" on Russia:

• Russia has the most beautiful women in the world.
• Tetris was...

Nesting Dolls Just Want You to Open Up

Nesting Dolls always want to share their feelings, and talk, and sometimes that causes relationship problems when they’re with other dolls.

Tell me about your Matryoshka

Nesting Dolls occasionally need some psychological assistance.

Consider the impact of Nesting Dolls on Philosophy

The Tao of Matryoshka

Nesting Dolls in Space: Ground Control to Matryoshka Tom

Everyone knows that Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space, and Neil Armstrong was the f...

Decorative Art Glass Decor History and Process

Unique glass figurines at The Russian Store! Since each of these figurines is hand-blown, and handcrafted one at a time, each piece of glass winds up having it's own distinct personality with no two being alike! In a time when mass production leaves most things feeling a little soulless, we're proud that our gaffers in St. Petersburg do things the old fashioned way. We believe it gives our glass figurines their own character, and adds a sort of charm...

Many unique trinket boxes for various occasions and different people…
When you don’t know what to gift someone (friend, family, teacher, associate, etc…) I always recommend Faberge style trinket boxes because you can always find something for somebody when it comes to these… even when you didn’t originally think so. For example, an elephant with its trunk in the air is a symbol of good luck, so you could gift this to anyone, because we all need a ‘lil luck in our homes, right?

Another cool thing a...

Russian: Золотая рыбка, Zolotaya rybka

Once upon a time an old man and his wife lived on the shore of the blue sea. They were poor and lived in an old mud hut. He made a living by fishing, while his wife spun cloth. One day he caught a small golden fish in his net. The fish begged him, "Let me go, old man. I will reward you for my freedom by giving you anything you desire." The fisherman was astonished and frightened because he had never before heard a fish speak. He let the fish go and said kind...

3 tests that can identify if your amber is real

Ah amber, it’s in such high demand that often people will try to sell fakes! The nerve of some people. There are even cases of people drilling holes in the fake amber, putting an insect, or in some cases even a frog or a lizard in the replica stone, and then filling it back up, and claiming its a rare piece of amber with a wonderful specimen trapped inside it. It’s not easy to distinguish real amber from fakes, but we have some tests you can preform...

Shawls, scarves, wraps, throws, and kerchiefs have all been a traditional article of clothing, as well as an ornamental piece of art, for an innumerable amount of cultures spanning across the globe and throughout time. The multi-purpose clothing, accessories, and decorations have only gained more popularity as time goes on. The word shawl is actually native to Persian culture, and is derived from the word Shal (quite a stretch, huh?) The use of the word, and the shawls importance in Persian cult...

You have got to check out these amazing Russian looks on the runway and in the magazines!

Xenia Shipilova, competitor in "Miss World 2009"

Pavlovo Posad Shawl Inspired Russian Fashion

Traditional Russian shawls have evolved over the years… not in the way they are made (because they are made the same way they have been since the beginning, over 200 years ago), but in the way they are worn. Traditionally, smaller scarves were worn around the head (just as the typical Russian grandmother, or...

When someone says "Russian Dolls" do you automatically think of nesting dolls? Well, there are more Russian dolls out there that don’t nest, stack, or come apart at the middle.

Porcelain Princesses

Take a look at these Russian porcelain dolls. They are made with porcelain hands and a hand-painted porcelain face. Their traditional Russian dress was all hand crafted in with excellent detail. They wear a kokoshnik, or headpiece that is inspired by what Russian royalty wore throughout history. These l...

As nesting dolls grow more popular every day, crafters, artists and even non-artists are starting to make matryoshki out of all sorts of things! We decided to compile some of the more interesting ones here, even though we are definitely partial to the traditional, wooden nesting dolls from Russia.

1. Hama Midi Beads Babushka

Hama Beads matryoshka

What are hama beads? You might know just by looking at the picture… if not, here is a quick history… They were first made in 1971 by Malte Haanin...

Russian children’s toys have been made in the village of Bogorodskoe (near Moscow) for over 600 years. A great piece of folk art, and a mesmerizing toy, each one was handmade using traditions passed down through time. And in a time when technology runs rampant, and your kids understand more about your computer than you do, and video games are blurring the lines between reality and entertainment, the idea of a of a tactile, simple, wooden toy only becomes more charming.

Location of Bogorods...

(Russian: Жар-птица и Василиса-царевна, Zhar-ptitsa i Vasilisa-tsarevna)

In a certain kingdom, in a thrice-ten realm that lay far away, beyond the thrice-nine lands, there once lived a mighty king. The king had an archer who was as brave as he was strong, and the archer had a horse that was as strong as it was fleet of foot. One day the archer got on his horse and rode off to the forest to hunt.

He rode along a road, and a wide road it was, and he saw a fire-bird’s feather lying there and flaming ...

(Russian: Маша и Медведь, Masha i Medved)

Once upon a time there lived an old man and woman who had a granddaughter named Masha. One day some friends of Masha’s decided to go to the forest to gather mushrooms and berries and they came to Masha’s house to ask her to go with them.

"Please, Granny and Grandpa," said Masha, "do let me go to the forest."

"You may go but see that you keep close to the others and do not lose sight of them or you might get lost," the two old people replied.

Masha and ...