An Abashev toy is an original Russian artistic craft formed in the 19th
century in the Spassk uyezd, actually named the Spassk area of the Penza region.
In contrast to the majority of toys craft, the Abashev toy was mostly created by men.
The craft fame is linked with the name of a talented master Larion Zotkin from the village of Abashevo, who worked in the 1920s and shared his experience with future generations. He is the author of many interesting toys: fairytale lions, fancy little dogs, and funny bears. Zotkin’s creative work perfected the forming of traditional Abashev toys craft modelling and painting techniques.
Abashev toys are animal-shaped whistles. However, a fantastic and fairytale aspect that animals quite often assume is its key feature. There are goats with long and sharp horns, deer with multilevel symmetric horns, and people who seem to be disguised with wild carnival masks.
