5 Facts About Etikoppaka Toys
1. Etikoppaka is a small village in Andhra Pradesh located on the banks of river Varaha. Making colourful and attractive toys from wood is a traditional art for the people of Etikoppaka. This art is practised by the villagers of these region even before Indian got independence.
2. Etikoppaka toys are mainly handmade using wood. The wood used for making these toys are made from locally grown trees named as Ankudu tree. It is very light weighted and easy to chop, therefore it is used for making toys and firewood.
3. Etikoppaka toys made by the local villagers are eco-friendly and made using organic materials and natural dyes are used to color them. Colors derived from seeds, lacquer, roots and leaves of various trees. The toys are also known as lacquer toys, because lac dyes are used for decorating the Etikoppaka toys. These toys are also safe for small children.
Read More: List of GI Tags for Indian Handicrafts
4. Etikoppaka toys are exported all over the world. These toys were always in very high demand but after few toys brands which became famous worldwide, the demand for Etikoppaka toys is going down. People have started replacing these with the new generation plastic toys which are technologically advanced and way cheaper than handmade toys.
5. Earlier Etikoppaka artisans restricted themselves only to make traditional toys like kitchen sets, toy crafts, animal figures etc. Nowadays they are diversifying their collection and have included many trending products such as wooden jewellery, bangles, keychains, god idols, wooden bowls, wind chimes etc.