Kargopol toys (Russian: Каргопольская игрушка) are moulded painted clay figures of people and animals. It is one of the old Russian folk art handicrafts, which is produced in and around the town of Kargopol, Arkhangelsk Oblast, in the north of Russia. It started in the 19th century in the areas west of Kargopol. The potters were not professionals, but just peasants who made toys in their spare time. A notable toy-maker in the beginning of the 20th century was Ivan Druzhinin (1887-1949). The handicraft almost became extinct in the 1930s. In the 1950s only one artist, Ulyana Babkina (1889-1977), was making the toys. Eventually, Babkina's toys received all-Russian recognition, were noticed by the Russian Artist Union, and the handicraft was revived.