Los Angeles - November 22, 2004

Hello, Dolly

Custom Russian Matriuska Dolls

If there’s one thing you and your siblings can agree on (and there actually may be only one thing), it’s that you all share excellent genes.

Dad’s strong chin. Mom’s alluring eyes. Grandpa’s charming smile. It really is a winning combo — if you do say so yourselves.

Now you can commemorate your best shared traits in a new way. Illustrator Trish Krauss, in connection with the New York shop Auto, will make a custom set of Russian Matriuska dolls for you and your family. Just send her a full-length picture of everyone in the clan (up to six); she’ll produce sketches for your approval and then transfer the images onto the wooden dolls. In a few weeks you’ll have an adorable tribute to the ties that bind.

A lovely gift for the parents or other members of the tribe, they are, at $1,200 for five dolls, not cheap. And you guys will have to duke it out over which size you get to be. (Chub-o-phobes, take note: By their nature, they give you a “rounded” appearance.) Naturally, such spats are unavoidable.

It kind of runs in the family.

To commission a set, call Auto (212-229-2292).