In 1780, Catherine the Great (born Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst in 1729, and who came to rule Russia in 1762) renamed the ancient town of Khlynov (Хлынов), founded in 1374, to Vyatka (Вятка), after the Vyatka river. Things stayed that way until 1934 when Vyatka was again re-named, this time Kirov (Киров), after Sergey Kirov (1886-1934), a prominent Communist Party leader, and one of Stalin's henchmen. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the name of the city remained Kirov, whereas many institutions (the city's university, for example), bear the former name of Vyakta.

As concerns the eponymous matryoshka doll, Kirov is the city and Viatka (aka Vyatka) is the production association. Hence, the Kirov matryoshka is also the Viatka (Vyatka) matryoshka, the names being somewhat interchangeable. The nesting doll from Vyatka first appeared in 1924. Any doll from that era is rare. In 1937, the Progress Artel was organized in the villages of Vakhrino and Ovcharnoye to produce wooden toys. By 1938, the production of dolls became more organized, but existing examples are scarce. Over 75 years ago, the "Igrushka" artel (артель), organized in Kirov in 1942, was mainly making Christmas tree decorations from cardboard and fabric scraps. The 41 workers were all women, save one, and all worked from home. Over time, the artel grew, and in 1951, a wooden production building was erected. Soon after, a brick building was built and production greatly expanded.

In 1960, the Kirov factory of wood-turning toys (Kirov Toy Factory) was organized. At the end of 1963, the Kirov factory entered the Vyatka production association, becoming "shop number 3". In 1968, the technology of painting with aniline dyes was mastered. Twenty years later shop number 3 modernized and the "Kirov Souvenir Factory" became an independent enterprise.

Back to 1960. The offshoot of all the changes was the union of all manufacture into one large enterprise - a production association called "Vyatka" ("Вятка"), which made all sorts of toys, including musical ones, dolls, matryoshkas, toys for pre-school, building blocks, and toys made from metal. Even the equally famous clay toy Dymkovo (Дымково) became part of "Vyatka". By the late 1980s, more than 3,000 people were employed in the workshops of the Vyatka production association. Nesting dolls, being probably the most well-known product, were traditionally made for export. In 1993, in connection with privatization, the factory was transformed into a limited liability partnership (LLP). That same year, a competition was announced for the development of new types of products. Two years later, under new ownership, modern painting techniques were developed, including potal, watercolor, and acrylics, which continue to this day. The residents of Nolinsk and the surrounding villages also  painted matryoshkas, their craft extending as far back as the 1930s. Today Nolinsk dolls are produced by the offshoots of the Kirov souvenir factory.