MINT (Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys) Museum of Toys is the world's first museum created specifically for toys and showcases an extensive collection of more than 50,000 pieces of vintage toys and childhood memorabilia from more than 40 countries which ranges from the mid-19th Century to the mid-20th Century.
There are a total of four galleries, each on a separate floor. The museum staff suggested to start at the top with 'Outer Space' and to work our way down.
Check out the photos below =)
LEVEL 5: OUTER SPACE
Here, you can find toys which reflect early 20th century society’s perception of technology and space travel in the future. Pretty cool!!
Space rockets
Police? robot in a space patrol car
Deadly ray guns
Space puppies? Soooo cute!
Space robots
Construction workers in space suits?
Chemistry experiment kit for the curious minds
Dan Dare figures
Star Wars figures
LEVEL 4: CHARACTERS
Here, you can find character toys such as Astroboy, Batman, Popeye, pre-war Japanese toys and Tintin collectables, amongst others.
Astro boy and his little sister, Uran
Tintin and Snowy on the moon
Tintin characters hand puppets
Flintstones
Popeye, Bluto and Oliver Oyl string holders
Battery-operated 'Popeye Rollover tank', one of four known to exist in the world!
Batman
Batmobile, being the only one of its kind known to exist with its box in the world!
Green Hornet with Bruce Lee as Kato
Green Hornet Car (Blue in colour), being the only one to exist in the world!
LEVEL 3: CHILDHOOD FAVOURITES
Here, you can find popular icons such as...
Mickey Mouse.
In his earliest incarnation, Mickey was more rat-like, his head was less rounded, his body thinner, his hands larger and he also featured teeth and was the proud possessor of a tail!
In his earliest incarnation, Mickey was more rat-like, his head was less rounded, his body thinner, his hands larger and he also featured teeth and was the proud possessor of a tail!
Darkie, the very beginning of Darlie – the icon used in Darlie toothpaste
Bonzo the Dog
Betty Boop
Snow white and the seven dwarfs.
Notice anything strange?? That's right, how come Snow white has black hair??!!
Notice anything strange?? That's right, how come Snow white has black hair??!!
‘Door of Hope’ doll collection
LEVEL 2: COLLECTABLES
Lunch boxes
Die cast metal trains
Die cast metal planes
Cute toys
Skating circus clowns
Die cast metal motorcycles
1840's tumbling toy
Matchbox die-cast toy vehicles, so-named because they were packaged in a matchbox back in the 1950s
Earliest version of the Mickey Mouse Hurdy Gurdy, or Organ Grinder toy. On exhibit is an early prototype made by The Johann Distler Company, Germany in the 1930’s. The later versions have tails, which are ‘spring like’ and the lithographs on the Organs are slightly different in design. This toy is often found missing the small Minnie Mouse dancing figure, as it is not attached to the toy.
LEVEL 1
Astro boy greets you when you enter the museum
'Lenticular panel' lines the walls of the walkway from the museum’s entrance, and depicts a chronological record of comics from the Silver Age to the Platinum Age.
BUILDING
There is no support pillar for Level 4/5 of the museum and the floors are only supported by the side walls. Seems as though the floors are floating in the air!
From Level 3, you can look down directly and clearly to the ground floor through the glass flooring.
The building’s facade comprises of twenty-six glass panels and is unique in that it has been specifically designed to minimize the amount of light into the building to reduce the damaging effect of UV rays on the collections.
