Best Nesting Dolls of 2026
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Nesting dolls, also known as Matryoshka dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. Originating from Russia in the late 19th century, these dolls have become a popular collectable item all over the world. Each set of dolls is intricately painted with unique designs and colours, making them a beautiful addition to any home decor. Not only are they visually appealing, but they also serve as a fun and interactive toy for children to play with. Overall, nesting dolls are a timeless and charming addition to any collection.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Nesting Dolls
ELUTONG Wooden Russian Angel Nesting Dolls Set
The ELUTONG Nesting Dolls are beautifully handmade from wood, offering a safe and eco-friendly toy that is free from any unpleasant smells. This makes them ideal for children and a charming decoration for your home. The set includes 5 or 6 dolls featuring colourful hand-painted animal and girl patterns, which can help improve your child’s colour recognition and knowledge of different animals. If the dolls are hard to open in cold weather, simply use a hair dryer to warm the joints for easy handling. Additionally, the hollow design allows you to store small treasures like jewellery or sweets inside, adding extra fun and practicality.
Oostifun Gobus Wooden Nutcracker Soldier Nesting Dolls
The Oostifun Gobus Nesting Dolls are a charming set of five wooden dolls, featuring a nutcracker soldier and a beautiful girl. Made from high-quality wood, these dolls are safe for children, with no unpleasant smells or harmful materials. Each doll fits neatly into the larger one, making them easy to store and display. The compact package also doubles as a useful box for storing small items like jewellery or keys, adding extra convenience for your home or office décor.
Rosa & Bo Rainbow Nesting Babies Toy
The Rosa & Bo Nesting Dolls offer a delightful and educational experience for your little ones. Inspired by Russian Dolls, this toy is designed for babies and toddlers, ensuring they have hours of fun. It helps enhance hand-to-eye coordination and ordering skills, which are crucial for their development. Additionally, it supports early number concepts and counting, making learning enjoyable. Being water-safe, you can also use it during bath time or at the beach, adding versatility to playtime.
ELUTONG Wooden Russian Nesting Dolls Set
The ELUTONG Nesting Dolls are a beautifully handmade set crafted from wood, ensuring they are safe and eco-friendly for children. These dolls serve as an excellent educational toy, helping young ones recognise colours and different animals through their hand-painted designs. The set also features a clever design where the inside is hollow, allowing you to store small treasures like jewellery or sweets. While the dolls may be tricky to open in cold weather, a little warm air can easily solve this, making them both practical and charming for your home or as gifts.
Rosa & Bo Pink Pastel Nesting Babies
The Rosa & Bo Nesting Dolls offer a delightful and engaging experience for babies and toddlers. Inspired by the classic Russian doll, this toy promotes hand-to-eye coordination and helps develop ordering skills, ensuring your little one has hours of fun while learning. It's also designed to enhance cognitive development, making it a valuable addition to your child's playtime. Additionally, these dolls are water-safe, so you can enjoy bath or beach play without worry, all while being fully safety tested and BPA free.
Heka Naturals All Natural Wooden Nesting Dolls
The Heka Naturals Nesting Dolls are a charming set of five handcrafted wooden dolls, originating from a rich cultural history. Made from high-quality lime wood, these dolls are designed for durability, ensuring that they can withstand years of stacking and unstacking, perfect for playtime or display. The exquisite craftsmanship involves hand-lathing and painting by skilled artisans, making each piece unique. As you enjoy these dolls, you'll appreciate their deep connection to European traditions, symbolising family unity and values that resonate with many.
Something Different Hand-Painted Cat Russian Dolls Set
The Cat Russian Dolls from Something Different offer a charming and unique design that will catch the eye and spark conversations in your home. Made from high-quality, eco-friendly wood, these dolls provide durability and a guilt-free décor option. Each piece is hand-painted with bright colours and intricate details, adding a whimsical and cheerful touch to any room. This set also makes an ideal gift for cat lovers or collectors, offering a memorable and special present that stands out with its distinctive feline theme and cultural appeal.
Boerni 7 Red Girl Nesting Dolls
The Boerni Nesting Dolls feature a set of seven beautifully handcrafted dolls, each one uniquely painted and designed to depict a girl in traditional attire. Their varying sizes allow you to nest them, creating a fun and engaging experience for children. The vibrant colours not only delight the eye but also aid in colour recognition, making playtime educational. Made from high-quality wood, these dolls are durable and safe, ensuring they can be enjoyed for years to come.
Bigjigs Toys Silicone Nesting Bears Set
The Bigjigs Nesting Bears are a delightful set of three silicone bear dolls that fit neatly into each other, perfect for little hands. These toys help your child develop dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills as they learn to nest the different-sized bears. Made from 100% food-grade silicone, they are safe, non-toxic, and easy to clean, offering convenience for busy parents. Plus, these sustainably made bears make a thoughtful eco-friendly gift for babies aged 12 months and over, ideal for baby showers or birthdays.
Boerni 5 Pcs DIY Nesting Dolls Set
The Boerni Nesting Dolls offer a creative outlet for both children and adults alike. With five unpainted wooden dolls, you can unleash your imagination and paint them to reflect your style. Their flat bottoms allow them to stand upright, making them perfect for display. These dolls serve as excellent educational toys, helping to improve children's concentration skills. Additionally, they can provide a relaxing activity for adults, relieving tension and anxiety after a long day at work.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the purpose of nesting dolls?
Matryoshka dolls are a traditional representation of the mother carrying a child within her and can be seen as a representation of a chain of mothers carrying on the family legacy through the child in their womb. Furthermore, matryoshka dolls are used to illustrate the unity of body, soul, mind, heart, and spirit.
2. What is the correct name for nesting dolls?
To non-Russians, the matryoshka, or nesting doll, is one of the most quintessential representations of traditional Russian peasant life.
3. Are Russian nesting dolls valuable?
Even a new nesting doll may cost upwards of $100. Authentic vintage Russian nesting dolls will often have a signed provenance on the underside of the piece. The most expensive Russian nesting dolls are wholly unique or limited in number. Most dolls that feature identical interior figures are crafted in mass quantities.
4. What is the difference between matryoshka and babushka?
Many people think that babushka and matryoshka have the same meaning. That is why some people call these dolls as babushka dolls. However, babushka and matryoshka are two different things. Babushka, in Russian, refers to an old woman, while matryoshka means mother.
During our nesting doll research, we found 113 nesting doll products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 6,493 customer reviews through our big data system to write the nesting dolls list. We found that most customers choose nesting dolls with an average price of £17.77.
The nesting dolls are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of nesting dolls, including ELUTONG, Oostifun, Rosa & Bo, Heka Naturals, Something Different.
Edward's family owns a retail store in Edinburgh for toys and games. He grew up taking a very active part in the family's business. Edward earned his first income from writing web content on a toy related gig for an online company. When he was 18, he took over from his father, and since then, he has been in charge and management of the store and several others around England.