"The largest set of Russian dolls is a 51-piece set hand-painted by Youlia Bereznitskaia (Russia). The largest measures 1 ft 9.25 in (53.97 cm) in height, the smallest 0.125 in (0.31 cm) in height. The set was completed on 25 April 2003. When all 51 pieces are lined up together touching, they measure 11 ft 2.25 in length. To break this record both the number of dolls in the set and the height of the tallest must be broken."
Image via. I wonder if she painted each doll's face and the art on the torso, or does the latter represent an applique of commercially printed art? And each of them must be incredibly thin.
There's a short story by R.A. Lafferty called /900 Grandmothers/ that this makes me think of. It's about alien people who grow smaller and sleepier as they get older. At one point the Earthman astronaut has the tiniest one in his hand and he's threatening to crush it if it won't answer his question. He's very frustrated. The creature calmly says, "You look at me. I look at you. I wonder if you will do it." That's a great thing to say if you ever feel threatened by someone who isn't just crazy.
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