Today I’m going to show you how to make a traditional Romanian Toy. It is called a “Hopa Mitica” Doll. But, we will call it an “I Don’t Want to Stay Down” Doll because this doll will not stay down. When you try to lay it down it will pop right back up. It’s a cute, funny toy that will be a ton of fun to make…. almost as much fun as it will be playing with the Doll. So, grab the materials needed and let’s get started with the crafting fun.
Check out our other Doll Making Crafts.
Laura from Dacian Moon Handmade will show you this craft step-by-step.
Our doll will not be made of wood, so …
Materials Needed
– round top (I use a round top from a roll-on)
– scissors
– a red marker and a black one
– 2 cloth pieces – one white or light pink for the face and one colored for the dress
– anti-shock wrap (bubble wrap)
– yarn (whatever color you want her hair to be) and needle
– 1 toothpick
– weights (could be anything heavy but small, it should stay on the bottom of the round top.)
– one piece of ribbon
Step 1
Make a ball (not perfect, of course) from the bubble wrap…
… roll up the white cloth around it…
… and tie it with a piece of yarn. This will be the head.
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Step 2
Use the needle to add hair to the head, like in the picture.
Cut the yarn near the needle…
… and make a knot (or two) with the two parts of yarn.
Add as many yarn pieces until you are happy with the result. An alternate method is to glue the yarn to the head of the doll.
Step 3
Now we will place the weights in the round top. They should stay on the bottom of it. You can place there just enough weights to keep the round top up. If you will add more, the doll will not work.
Step 4
Make another ball of bubble wrap …
… and stuff it in the round top, in order to keep the weights in place.
Step 5
Place the toothpick on the lower part of the head, like in the picture.
Step 6
Roll up the rest of the bubble wrap around the toothpick…
… and fix it on top of the other bubble wrap, on the round top.
Step 7
Take the colored cloth …
… and wrap it around the doll, keeping out the head.
Step 8
Tie the cloth with the ribbon, at the base of the head. Take care to let her hair out too.
The doll will look like that.
Step 9
Using the markers, draw eyes and mouth.
And that’s it.
Now try to put her down.
She will jump up …
… waiting to play with you.
And that is how you make your “I Don’t Want to Stay Down” Doll. Try and knock her over and see what happens…. she pops right back up again ready to play some more. Have fun!!
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