Janko’s Toys is a ballad-like family story with a Christmas theme about a boy named Janko who carves beautiful wooden toys and becomes his family’s savior. One of the most beautiful Slovak fairy tales, which, despite some clichés and pathos, tugs at the heartstrings. An unjustly forgotten film from Slovak cinema about love and self-sacrifice.

One day, Janko’s father falls seriously ill, and there is no one left to provide for the family. As winter approaches, the family is forced to sell even the sheep that had been providing them with at least some income.

Christmas is approaching, and Janko begins looking for work on his own to help his family. However, he is unable to find any temporary work, so he starts carving wooden toys. He eventually decides to sell them at the pre-Christmas fair.

At first, he doesn’t have much success at the fair. After taking advice from more experienced vendors, he manages to earn enough money to buy what he had planned for his family for Christmas.

The journey back home is full of surprises and miracles for Janko, which bring the family’s lost happiness and joy back just in time for Christmas.

The film is based on the fairy tale of the same name, which appeared in Anton Habovštiak’s book *The Treasure Above All Treasures*.

Drama / Fairy Tale

Czechoslovakia, 1984, 62 min

Crew: Radim Cvrček;

Cast: Daniel Vychopeň, Emília Vášáryová, Štefan Kvietik, Ján Mistrík, Gabriela Galetková, Naďa Hejná, Barbora Uhereková, Stanislav Tříska, Ivan Kalina, Eva Matalová, Martin Zatovič;

Parents’ Guide

A woman selling goods at a fair lets Janko take a single sip from a bottle of hard liquor.

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