Papier-mâché toys are shaped from layers of torn paper glued together with paste or resin, moulded around a form and dried into a hard, light, paintable shell. The technique is centuries old and still practised worldwide. Traditional recipes use rice paste, wheat paste, or tamarind-seed glue, with jute or cloth fibre worked in for strength.
Once dry, the paper form is smoothed, sometimes finished with a thin clay slip, and painted in bright colours — often with a gold or bright background to make the design pop. Papier-mâché is cheap, light, forgiving of imperfect finish, and takes brilliant colour — which is why it is the folk toy medium of festivals, fairs, and processional figures. Larger pieces are often built for a single occasion and then broken or discarded.
Explore this craft by country
Each country page describes how this tradition is practised there — its own names, materials, workshops and living makers.