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" If you think roly-poly nesting dolls are as cute as I do, read on. I&amp;#039;ve long had a weakness for Russian nesting, or Matryoshka, dolls \u2014 picking up traditional ones at a Ukrainian festival in NYC&amp;#039;s East Village, a quirky set in London (yes, the dolls look like the Beatles), and a variety of items with Matryoshka motifs (a pot holder, note cards, etc.). I just find the rotund shape and doll-within-doll design infinitely appealing. Still, I&amp;#039;d never taken the time to research the origin \u2014 assuming it was steeped in Slavic history \u2014 which is why this Apartment Therapy post was so enlightening: Apparently, they weren&amp;#039;t even originally from Russia, nor have they been made there that long. The dolls were inspired by Japanese folk art dolls that debuted in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the last decade of the 1800s, and didn&amp;#039;t become a craze until the 1900 World&amp;#039;s Fair in Paris. Now we know! And it doesn&amp;#039;t make me want the Matryoshka measuring cups below ($16, fredflare.com) any less.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/a23583/nesting-dolls-love/>