Tò he (toy figurine) is a traditional toy for children in Vietnam which is made from glutinous rice powder in form of edible figurine such as animals, flowers or characters in folk stories. The origin of tò he making was dated to the 17th century.
In the past, tò he was made and sold onlyon the occasion of festivals, especially the Lunar New Year and the Mid-Autum Festival (Trung Thu). Nowadays, the toy is introduced in almost all traditional festivals and in public places. As tò he is one of the rare surviving traditional toys of Vietnam, the art of tò he making is considered a cultural ambassador of Vietnam and there are many efforts in order to preserve and develop this traditional art.
The craftsman needs a mixture of glutinous and ordinary rice powders
The forms of tò he figurine are drawn from animals, flowers and characters in folk stories
The procedure of tò he making requires utmost patience from the craftsman, but almost all tò he makers are men and there is an unwritten law in families of tò he craftsmen that secret in making tò he is only passed from father to sons and daughters-in-law, not to daughters.
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