Here at Crossroads Trade we get to see people at play. Parents and children sit on the floor and pop open one of our matrioshkas. Adoptive parents identify the clothing on a Guatemalan doll as from their child's district. Doll collectors stop by to see the latest arrivals from Colombia, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.

Our folk dolls come from all over the world. Some are chiefly for collection and display, such as our Ndebele dolls from South Africa, in their symbolic garments. Others, such as our dolls from Guatemala and Gaza, are very huggable. All teach about their cultures. And for the doll makers, such as the Karen tribeswomen in refugee camps on the Thai/Burma border, they are important source of income and ultimately, dignity.

Our matrioshkas come from fair-trade suppliers who import from Russia. The nesting dolls range in price from $10 to more than $300, and in size from a foot tall to the length of a fingernail. The number of nesting dolls in a set can range from a total of three to 10. The themes are endless -- jolly grandmothers, girls with geese, Father Frost and winter fun, Bible stories, the Jewish rites of passage.

Our folk toy collection changes all the time; visit these pages often.