These nesting dolls are generally strong and well made. One downside I found was a common complaint in other reviews: the pieces don't close, and if you manage to close them you'll have a hard time opening them again. I found a quick fix to this problem - gently sand the inside edge of the bottom pieces with a dremel. I noticed that they are a bit rounded in this part, so when you try to put the tops on, they are too tight. Light sanding completely eliminated the problem. Just a warning, be careful not to sand it too hard or the pieces will become too loose and won't stick together.