A traditional Czech toyshop is full of hums, whirrs, rattles and whistles; such is the diversity of the toys that for generations have been made in Bohemia and Moravia. In this special Christmas programme we look at this country’s toy making traditions. I’ll be joining Ivan Karhan, who knows all there is to know about Czech toys and toymakers – past and present.
Ivan Karhan, photo: David Vaughan
A traditional Czech toyshop is full of hums, whirrs, rattles and whistles; such is the diversity of the toys that for generations have been made in Bohemia and Moravia. In this special Christmas programme we look at this country’s toy making traditions. I’ll be joining Ivan Karhan, who knows all there is to know about Czech toys and toymakers – past and present. He also runs his own toyshop, a magical place not far from Prague Castle where children and adults alike are transported to a world of the imagination. I went along to the shop to talk to Ivan and his wife, the pianist Patricia Goodson, a familiar figure to regular Radio Prague listeners. Ivan began our conversation with some noise, demonstrating a couple of rattles…
