Who Needs an American Girl Doll When You've Got These?

Remember way back in April of 2008 when Tootsie wrote about her Cousin K? Well, trust her - she did. And here is what she said:

Vanilla candles: No matter where I am when I encounter this scent, I'm immediately flooded with memories of spending time at my Cousin K's house, as a child in the 1970's. She's really my mother's cousin and has always been more of an "aunt" to me, but I've always called her "Cousin K" [there's more to her name than "K" but, you know, anonymity being what it is]. There are the copper bracelets she wore, the white four poster bed that I eventually inherited, the little Russian wooden dolls that opened to reveal a smaller doll and so on until the tiniest carved version emerged, the step down den, the fruit trees in the backyard, and the crazy jigsaw coffee table that I could crawl around in like a maze. You know how you can look back on your childhood and there was that ONE adult that stood above the rest? Yeah, it was like that. And, K, if you're reading this please will your copper bracelets to me. If they're still around. I promise to cherish them.

As noted, she is not Tootsie's first cousin, she is her mother's cousin; but Tootsie's family is not one to split hairs. So, way back when Tootsie looked like this:


...and indulged in such things as Magic Mountain African Safaris with declawed, defanged, drugged kings of the extreme petting zoo jungle; she also played with Russian nesting dolls at her cousin K's house.

Flash forward thirty-ish years later.

Cousin K came to visit over New Years:


(Everyone say hello to Tootsie's not first cousin but who is concerning themselves with lineage anyway - Cousin K!)

And Tootsie's not first cousin but who is concerning themselves with lineage anyway - Cousin K brought with her THE Russian nesting dolls. Not "some" but The. Same. Exact. Ones. If you don't know what the hell Tootsie is talking about she will walk you through the explanation step-by-step, ahem:

A little wooden doll with a secret. And that secret is inside.


What the?!?... Surprise!


And that secret has a secret.

But wait! There's more! If you act now, that secret within a secret is harboring a - you guessed it - secret of ITS own. If you're as fascinated confused as Tootsie was then it's helpful to name them.

And finally, Pickles Larue reveals the final secret in this simple complex journey through toys manufactured in the former USSR: Gorky Puddin-Pie.


...You want to know something super special? With all of her fancy baby dolls, and My Little Ponies, and advanced technological toys; Tootsie's Girl-Child is just as in awe of the Russian nesting dolls as Tootsie was herself. Thirty-ish years ago.