Of Russian origin: Vanka-Vstanka
Photo from http://www.chitalnya.ru“Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down!” was the famous catchphrase from the American roly-poly toy coined in the 1970’s. However, even though it was the middle of the Cold War, roly-poly toys were busy wobbling and standing up in the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, too.
The Nevаlashka or Vanka-Vstanka doll of Russia was just one incarnation of the popular egg shaped toy which, with a weight in the bottom was pushed by a child then wobbled back to a stand.
Most households during the Soviet Union had a Vanka-Vstanka for the children to play with. It was also a popular boy’s name meaning, ‘get up!’ which is precisely what it did! Roly-poly toys have entered cultures around the world. In China, they’re often designed as a clownish caricature of a local official, mocking the ineptitude of local bureaucrats. One theatre group dresses up an actor as a roly-poly toy for the audience to interact with. And the author Enid Blyton created the characters Mr and Mrs Wobblyman based on the swaying playthings.
With a bell inside ringing to the child’s pushes, Vanka-Vstankas, and their worldwide incarnations remain popular toys to this day.
Written by Tom Barton, RT correspondent
Zakuska
Appetizers or the little bites consumed with vodka, or any other alcoholic drink.
Kipyatilnik
Domestic immersion heater, widely used in the USSR, where electricity was cheap and comforts like hot water were not easily accessible.
Prorub
Russians of the Eastern Orthodox faith put on bathing suits and plunge through holes carved in frozen lakes every January as part of the yearly Epiphany Celebration.
Troika
Three-horse open sleigh or carriage.
Registracia
Registracia (which means registration in English) is the notion that used to penetrate (and still does) through all spheres of the economy.
Palekh
Palekh is a style of Russian folk painting done with tempera paints on small items such as jewelry boxes or powder cases.
