Toys

Coconut Balaji Etikoppaka

Balaji Coco- Ban Toy from Etikoppaka. Initially, kids used the Etikoppaka toys solely as playthings in the early stages of their development. These toys were safe to play with and long-lasting due to the use of natural colours and wood.

The Etikoppaka toys did, however, gradually adapt to a wide range of uses.Now, people can use them as gifts, decorations, toys, and even functional products.

These Balaji Coco-Ban toys from Etikoppaka have been integral to the lives of locals and nearby villagers for generations. They include animal figures, rattles, and spinning tops, as well as Etikoppaka boxes used to store jewelry and sacred items.

These toys play a significant role in South Indian rituals. For example, girls receive a kitchen set called ‘lakkapidathalu’ for their first birthday, complete with colorful dishes, ladles, stoves, and grinders.

In bridal customs, they also play a role in carrying betel nuts, haldi Kumkum, and fragrant items for the bride’s trousseau.

They became so well-liked that people started selling them as county fairs, regular markets, train stations, and even bus stops.

The “Ankudi Karra” tree provides the wood used to construct these toys.

Etikoppaka toys, also known as Etikoppaka Bommalu, are traditional wooden toys that artisans color with lacquer. The village earns renown for producing these toys, often calling them “lacquer toys” because of the lacquer coating. Artisans dye these wooden toys using natural colors extracted from seeds, lacquer, bark, roots, and leaves.

Toy making, also known as turned wood lacquer craft, is a craft that uses soft wood to create toys.