Kerala is blessed with luxuriant wood and is an important area for toys. The main toys crafted are animals made out of rose wood. Elephant figures take precedence over all others as the demand for elephants is constant. A favourite piece is one in which two elephants are fighting each other with their trunks flung out. The toys are made by the carpenters or asaris. A large variety of kathakali figures are crafted and have a great appeal as the various kathakali characters have their doll counterparts which excite the children’s curiosity. Trained artists at Calicut make a large number of figures based on the kathakali dancers and temple models out of paper pulp. They also produce lively figures of animals and birds.