Toy factory in the "Soviet" style
“Terrible, but interesting to look at” - this is how the toy factory in Klavdievo was described to me. My wife had been urging me to go there for a long time, everything did not work out, but now we were offered a group trip, the dates were arranged, and we gave the go-ahead. The bus started from Kyiv, the ticket price was 70 UAH. (280 rubles), this amount included travel by bus to Klavdievo-Tarasovo and a visit to the factory with a guide. Children under seven years old are free of charge, without providing a separate seat on the bus. The master class for children was paid separately (UAH 30). The bus arrived on time, loaded up and set off. The bus was noisy from children's laughter, screams, counting rhymes, for about thirty minutes we crawled in traffic jams from Kyiv, then we taxied onto the highway, another hour drive - and we were there. Officially, this production is called "Klavdievskaya factory of Christmas decorations named after. Santa Claus". What does Santa Claus have to do with it, the Ukrainian factory, the Ukrainian team, why not the name of Santa Claus? Later, after talking with the master at the factory, I understood why - most of the products are exported to Europe, and in order not to puzzle the Europeans with the phrase "DED MOROZ", it was decided to call the factory a Western analogue. We drive into the factory yard, unload. The factory from the outside produces a rather sad sight - terrible brown buildings, some rickety frames, metal stands near the "front" entrance. To give a more cheerful look to the building, the hull pipes are painted in different colors. A guide meets us near the entrance, a woman briefly talks about the stages of production of glass toys, for clarity, she holds a pair of glass tubes from which future Christmas tree decorations are made. After a five-minute lecture, we go into the middle and... immediately find ourselves in the era of the eighties - a wooden threshold nailed, safety posters, crooked concrete steps of various sizes. Industrial waste is thrown around - boxes, broken glass, etc. . We pass into the glass-blowing shop, it is here that the glass tubes under the influence of a temperature of 600 degrees and the sensitive actions of the master turn into balls. Several women are sitting and doing this process, they did not pay the slightest attention to our group. There is also a very complicated device for determining the suitability of a blown ball - a metal ring with a holder, if the ball passes through it, then the diameter is correct, if not, it is rejected. Judging by the packages of food set aside, the masters have lunch right there, so to speak, without leaving their workplace. Next we get to the silver shop. Here the transparent balls turn into silver ones, because I lingered taking pictures in the previous workshop, then ended up at the very end of the hall and shot over the heads of others. The room, like all the others, does not look festive, but you can attribute this to the "antique" entourage ; -)). Our guide talked about the chemical reaction that turns all the balls silver, listened to her not very carefully, but the children really liked this "magic", to be honest, most adults (including me) found it interesting too. I stuck my curious nose into one of the boxes with finished products, photographed a paper report, and only at home I noticed one interesting detail - according to route sheet No. 2221, Sidakova received 220 glassblowers for painting, of which she painted... Talkovich agreed with this. Christmas miracles? Let's move on. . . In the art workshop, coloring of products takes place. The booklet says: ". . . talented artists will be happy to show you the secrets and features of their painting technique. " We were indeed shown the process of coloring, but the faces of the masters expressed anything but joy (Saturday afternoon is clearly not the best time for a good mood at work). Although, at the request of the children, the craftsmen showed all the nuances of their work, no one was refused. There are toys that masters paint on a stencil, and there are completely handmade toys, such toys are noticeably more expensive. Various companies often place orders at the factory, they order balloons with their own symbols, in the corner I saw boxes with Life and BASF finished products. Masters work with ordinary brushes and pears with glue, they squeeze it onto a ball, and then sprinkle it with sparkles. You can buy a ready-made balloon in the store, and the masters will put any inscription on it for a nominal fee (2 hryvnias or 8 rubles), and the payment is taken not for the number of words, but for the product. Very interesting and exciting, almost everyone ordered this service. The Museum of Christmas toys made the greatest impression. Toys from many countries are presented here, all of them are made in different techniques. I liked the toys painted from the middle (now this technique is used in Egypt to make bottles with sand, applying a pattern with a pointed stick). I don’t know how old all these toys are, but the colors on them are bright and juicy. Naturally, they are not for sale, although similar ones can be made for you on special order. . Next was the “Santa Claus Room”, an ordinary room where you can take a picture of a child at a wooden table in New Year’s surroundings and buy a postcard “from Santa Claus” (3 hryvnias or 12 rubles). Not particularly interesting, we continue the tour. We go to the "Supermarket of Christmas toys. " A very pompous name for a room with shelving on which Christmas tree decorations are displayed. At the entrance to the "supermarket" there is an old out-of-tune piano, then a high threshold, for which incoming people constantly cling and, finally, you can skimp on toys. Toys cost from 15 to 100 UAH per piece, there are sets for 40 UAH, you can buy a beautiful box with wooden shavings (50 UAH) and fill it yourself with the chosen balls. Everything is extremely democratic - no one forbids leaving through the entrance, and there is no special control over visitors, everything is designed for honesty. You can take disposable bags and pick up balloons that are packed in boxes, a receipt is not issued and no documents on the purchase either, so if you skimp on the balloons and decide to go in again, you must leave the already purchased balloons from the sellers so that there is no confusion. For large volumes of purchases, discounts are not provided, only for non-cash payment and by prior arrangement. They were stingy, went downstairs to the masters, signed gifts. The wife went to the administrator and asked when she could send her daughter to the master class. A group of ten people enters a small room, in order to avoid hustle and bustle, parents are asked to leave and pick up their child in half an hour. I quickly take a picture and we leave. At the master class, Margo and her friend Lisa painted clean balloons, then sprinkled them with sparkles and received them as a souvenir. I highly recommend it - the children are delighted, and the toy will be a constant reminder of this interesting trip. On this, in principle, everything, we go out into the street, wait for the rest of the group, get on the bus and go to Kyiv. We liked the tour, the children got a lot of interesting impressions, I recommend it to everyone!! !
