Posted on 05/21/2002 9:18:12 PM PDT by Shermy
ST. PETERSBURG -- As Russia prepares to welcome U.S. President George W. Bush this week, the souvenir peddlers have what they think is the perfect memento for the occasion.
Along with the traditional nesting dolls depicting round-faced girls with multicolored scarves, souvenir stands here and in Moscow are stocked with dolls depicting Bush, his predecessor Bill Clinton and even Osama bin Laden.
Matryoshki have long been a favorite souvenir for visitors to Russia. In the last years of the Soviet Union, souvenir hawkers began selling satirical versions featuring Communist Party leaders.
Today, a large matryoshka featuring President Vladimir Putin and his predecessors -- from Boris Yeltsin down to Nicholas II, Russia's last tsar -- sells for $30 in St. Petersburg. Putin's tie reads "KGB." There is also a Bush doll, complete with cowboy hat.
"Putin matryoshki are the most popular ones," said Valentina, 31, who sells souvenirs in the shadow of the ornate Church on the Spilled Blood.
She said Putin dolls are most in demand among European tourists. "Judging from these sales, one can draw the conclusion that Mr. Putin is rather welcome in Europe," said Valentina, who declined to give her last name.
The ones of Bush, containing other U.S. presidents in the inner layers, are less in demand. "In part, this is due to the decrease in the flow of American tourists since Sept. 11," said a salesman who gave his name as Dmitry.
Bush also faces stiff competition in the matryoshka contest from Clinton, who remains a favorite topic for satire in Russia. The Clinton doll opens to reveal Monica Lewinsky, followed by Paula Jones, who sued Clinton for sexual harassment. The fourth layer depicts Clinton's wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, now a U.S. senator from New York.
"After Clinton left office we thought that there wouldn't be demand for this matryoshka and were about to take it away from the stalls. However, its intriguing plot continues to attract many tourists, particularly Americans," Valentina said.
Dolls portraying bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States, seem to be the least popular. Dmitry ordered one bin Laden matryoshka to test demand, but in the two weeks it has been on display, tourists have steered clear of it, he said.
The matryoshka is inscribed with the caption "Wanted: Dead or Alive," and the inner dolls portray leaders accused of supporting terrorism, including Iraq's Saddam Hussein.
n On the Arbat in Moscow, the most popular matryoshka among foreign visitors is one showing Bush and Putin dueling with swords, Interfax reported, citing the owner of one of the souvenir stands. The man attributed the doll's popularity -- despite its high price tag of $120 -- to increased attention in the foreign press to U.S.-Russian relations and to Bush's approaching visit.
As in St. Petersburg, the bin Laden dolls have been a flop. "Since Sept. 11 we have sold only seven or eight bin Ladens," the souvenir seller was quoted as saying. "For some reason people react strangely to them. More often than not they laugh, but don't buy them, and some Americans actually shudder."
But it might be just because people are scared to take them on airplanes on the way home. Bound to get you a trifle of scrutiny from security, methinks.
D
This one they have the right color dress on "That woman, Miss Lewinski".
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