Hey!
Ever felt that tinge of nostalgia as you picked up the toys'r'us catalogue that comes to your doorstep every December? As we look through pictures of bicycles, barbie dolls and power ranger toys, we remember how much we salivate over them. Well, there is a place in Singapore that has every toy you ever dreamt of having as a kid, only better. This time, it's real. And the collection is enough to make any toystore jealous.
It isn't a store but a TOY museum, or rather the Mint Musuem of Toys! I was just there last week, persuaded to go by a friend. And boy did I not regret my decision. I couldn't peel my eyes away from the shelves of toys dating back to the 1950s. Times when our disney heroes looked very different (and sometimes weird). For the modest entrance fee of 15 bucks, you enter another make-believe world. 5 levels of neatly packed toys that take you on a journey past your childhood. Every level is very neatly categorized and labelled so it's pretty easy to navigate.
The only slight pity, if you can see from the picture above, is that all the toys are protected by a wall-high glass cage, so all you can do is salivate behing the glass, and take in all the sights. If you want the good old fondling and squeezing of toys, then this museum's not for you, a trip to toys'r'us would be more apt (: But having said that, the birth date of some of these toys nearly made my heart stopped as we're talking about our grandparent's era back then when a kid could own a toy only if his dad owned a bentley. So it's no wonder these gems gotta be proctected this way...
Look carefully and check out how the kid models on the box of the batman toy look like. It was a riot, walking past rows of shelves of batman toys, all throughout the decades, and to see just how he morphed over the years.
Okay these ones particularly scared the pants off of me. Look how Mickey Mouse looked like when he was just created. We're talking about his first year! This was what he resembled. This ugly, ugly, monster to me anyway! :(
The three little pigs aren't any different from mickey, but this time, at least they're cute. This was when they first came out into the world, where back during our parent's era (: They were considered very modern for its time. Although still looking abit constipated, these pigs passed the toy test. (which mickey failed miserably)!
So if you're a toy fan, or child at heart, or even an avid toy collector, this museum really does have something for everyone. Walking through the five levels, you will feel a rich mix of nostalgia, education, and inspiration, all rolled into one. Even if you're a sceptic like me, the rich history of toys from 25 countries worldwide, spanning 100 years, is enough to convert you. Did i mention the building has a very neat souvenir gift shop, where you can purchase toys and play with them, or display them at home. The perfect end to a trip to these kind of musuems. There's even a very neat boutique cafe that serves pretty decent food, with the toy ambience included.
So if you're bored and if normal musuems bore you, the Mint Museum of Toys might interest you (: They're located a 5-min walking distance from City Hall MRT station.
This toy fan is signing out, till next week!
