Originally published at: Check out this 1931 Soviet guide to turning potatoes into toys | Boing Boing
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I hear the voice of my mother saying not to play with my food.
But then in 1931 Russia you could eat your toys.
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In 1930’s Ukraine they would have eaten the potato and the child.
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Tabloid spoof:
Walking around, looking at the screen instead of the street:
1930s potato people, they’re just like us! 
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When I was a kid we would make toys out of horse chestnuts and matches/toothpicks
Example from teh interwebs.
There is a park near me that actually has horse chestnut trees. Maybe I’ll try scraping up a few.
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Even in Soviet food advertisements the food looks better then it is when you get it.
Also who is wasting all those matches?
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I was wondering about the matches, too. Why not use toothpicks? Unless they didn’t have toothpicks? 
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Toothpicks are not as global as you might think. Having a dedicated disposable implement for cleaning ones teeth? Matches are much more plentiful. You could also find “cocktail sticks” which are identical to toothpicks, but only if you were hosting a party or simar event
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In 1930s Stalinist Russia, the only rational action would be to turn the potatoes into vodka.
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With retailers warning of toy shortages in the shops - this will make a terrific Christmas gift in 2021 Brexit Britain.
Though we’ve probably also got potato shortages.
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Just leave the horse apples alone.
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You don’t truly ascend to 100% 'murica! score until you dissolve the conceptual distinction between ‘toys’ and ‘weapons’ to provide a single class of tools to serve your similar conceptual merger of ‘fantasy’ and ‘policy’.
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You get a free match every time you light a cigarette.
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Only managed to scrape up a dozen. I got there right as the lawn mowers were rolling over the ground. Barely enough to make anything worthwhile, but enough to annoy the young’ns with traditional crafts.
Cookie the dog is unimpressed.
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Where are you? I thought they were basically extinct.
Aurora IL. Cantigny park in Winfield has a number of Chestnut trees
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Are they transplanted European ones or survivors of the blight?
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I’d guess transplants but I don’t know. The park has formal grounds with a variety of trees. Nice place for a visit, if you’re ever in the area.
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