These nesting dolls are a traditional Russian craft, and nesting dolls are a popular tourist gift item and a favorite present for children. Nesting dolls are a type of doll that comes in multiple dolls that get smaller as you go in. The dolls were crafted from a single piece of wood and took many hours to complete. The first doll is known as a babushka, or “little grandmother”, and it is often a baby doll that fits inside a mother doll.