Leather Toys of Indore, Madhya Pradesh

The city of lndore, 188km from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, is situated in the southwest direction of the state. Indore is a progressive city and is also termed as mini Mumbai because of its advanced technology, lifestyle and large number of textile mills.  The leather toys produced here seem almost lifelike, and are moulded in such a way that they appear animated. For example, a horse can be seen going through different motions—running, jumping, grazing, neighing, galloping, stationary. Such postures offer the buyer a range of options to choose from. Other animals such as elephants are similarly portrayed. The texture of the skin of the animal is achieved by using pointed tools on the paper pulp when it is still wet and applied by hand on to a hay mould, keeping in mind the animal in question. This is what makes the toy look realistic. The texture is further enhanced after it has been dyed and hand-painted in deeper shades.