Storytellers were originally created by Cochiti artist Helen Cordero in 1964. Originally, she created female figures with children in their arms and called these dolls “Singing Mothers”. They quickly gained in popularity. Helen eventually made a male figure, modeled after her Grandfather, Santiago Quintana, with children clinging to his back and in his lap. The doll had an open mouth as he was telling stories to the children. As time went on, more and more artists started making their own storyteller dolls, each adapting their own unique style and implementing their own beliefs based on their heritage. They have become one of the most collectible and sought after forms of clay art.