During the First World War, these two dolls – Nénette and Rintintin, which symbolized a Parisian couple in love who escaped the bombings, gained extraordinary popularity in France. Literally everyone, children and adults, made such dolls from woolen threads, fastening them with a cord to carry with them or give them to soldiers going to the front. Created without much expense, unpretentious and simple, they were a happy talisman.
People believed that Nénette and Rintintin would save their loved ones from danger and protect them from death in this terrible war. Images of these lovers were often found in illustrated magazines of those years, in addition, postcards were printed in huge numbers, which told about the adventures of this couple.
Most often they were depicted as a French couple, but sometimes italo-French or American-French, since the amulets were supposed to protect allies. These postcards were also sent to the front, and the soldiers, in turn, bought and sent such postcards to their children with wishes for a speedy peace. The popularity of Nénette and Rintintin continued for some time after the war.
