From Where?

Isn't this doll cute and so colorful?

My sister found it at a local thrift shop for me to sell. Before I put anything up for sale, I research it on the Internet, so I know what I am listing.  After 2 1/2 years on Etsy, I'm not an expert on anything--you could say I know a little about a lot!

Anyhow, we speculated as to where this cutie was from, as it had no markings on it (or if it did, they were covered by the clothing that could not be removed.

Eventually we narrowed it down to a cold climate, judging by the fleece cap and (pointy) boots.

That ruled out lots of places.

On to a Web image search for international folk costumes, as I presumed this might not be everyday wear. At first I thought perhaps Russia, but figured the colors might be too bright. However this is not so. I found many colorful outfits in the photos, as you can see:

As bright as they are, they do not resemble our doll. So on I go to look. Next stop was Mongolia--close to Russia, but with their own costumes. At this point, I decided to search for children's costumes, as they may be different from those of adults and this was for a toy, after all.

 Darn cute, but not quite right...

Okay, so maybe Iceland 

or Greenland?

Um, no.

On to the Nordic or Scandinavian countries. At this point, it felt like I was heading in the right direction.  I was beginning to think that a suggestion my brother had made was correct, but saved it for the last.

Looked at Norway 

 and Sweden.

But I knew I was getting very close, when I glanced at THIS!

Oh yes, this could be it. Where is it from? Lappland (or Lapland, the Anglicized spelling).

Now where is Lappland, you ask. Well, here:

It is actually part of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia (where I started my search, you'll recall).

So I investigated further. Hmmm, looks right to me.

This photo courtesy of folklorefashion

It is the national costume of the Sami, an indigenous culture, who live in the far north, or Arctic, area of  the above-mentioned countries.

I decided this doll must be a boy, as women and girls wear similar tops, but they are skirt length, as far as I could tell.

What a fun outcome. I love to learn new things, plus I could finally list this adorable doll.

P.S. My brother was pretty much correct, (he's a librarian and they know a little about a lot too), but don't tell him I said so, okay?