The world of toy museums provides fascinating experiences for those who have an interest in the items in play here. Everyone grows up with the desire of playing with the fun toys that become quite popular in society. Even adults sometimes like to collect toys given the childhood interest in having the ability to continue progressing with newer toys that are marketed towards older demographics.
We will look at the best museums out there that are dedicated to the history of toys. They range from museums looking at a specific genre of toys to ones that just celebrate all toys’ historical impact on the industry. Every museum in play here hopes to win over the visitors with their unique presentation of such a unique concept. Find out just which ones are worth visiting when it comes to your personal interests. These are the top ten toy museums in the world!
10 V&A A Museum Of Childhood
The V&A A Museum of Childhood is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It has been around for four decades with the intent of showcasing various children’s toys throughout the years. The items are from all over the world to show just which toys you’re not familiar with found huge success.
Exhibits looking at the classic toys and games are the main appeal, but there are many more fun aspects of this museum. The V&A A Museum of Childhood offers art classes, storytelling performances and many other events to win over the child in everyone.
9 Suomenlinna Toy Museum
Finland is home to the popular Suomenlinna Toy Museum looking at quite a few different genres of toys. The main items you’ll find in this highly respected toy museum are beautiful antique dolls, the most unique vintage teddy bears and a few other sets of toys made from the early 1900s to 1960s.
The Suomenlinna Toy Museum is meant to appeal to those wanting a glimpse at the older toys to find such success at a high level. You won’t find the Furby or Tickle Me Elmo here, but there are some spectacular exhibits for visitors to have an interest in toys.
8 Tartu Toy Museum
The Tartu Toy Museum is located in Estonia and provides many reasons to visit. Some of the top attractions on display at the museum include smaller items like dolls, rocking horses and teddy bears. All the items have history behind them as it features mostly older toys.
There are interactive exhibits in the playroom as well made for the younger visitors to get more fun out of the experience. A combination of the vintage toys on display and the interactive experiences makes the Tartu Toy Museum a perfect middle ground for everyone in the family to have fun.
7 Penang Toy Museum
The Penang Toy Museum has over 100,000 toys on display at their location in Malaysia. It was the first ever toy museum in Malaysia and has found international success as a tourist attraction. The toys on display feature quite a few exciting exhibits that appeals to every interest.
Some of the top exhibits include the Hall of Cartoons, Chamber of Comic Book Heroes and Chamber of Horror. Each category looks at the toys to come from each world. The figures in the Penang Toy Museum range from miniature to life size to just how impressive the toy industry has been.
6 The Strong National Museum Of Play
Rochester, New York is home to the Strong National Museum of Play as one of the most beloved toy museums in the United States. This museum features extreme variety with some rare attractions that make it more special than the competition.
The National Toy Hall of Fame and World Video Game Hall of Fame are located in the Strong National Museum of Play which would provide attractions on their own. Other exhibits will look at both historical and modern toys with exhibits dedicated to Pacman, vintage dolls and everything in between.
5 Brighton Toy And Model Museum
The Brighton Toy and Model Museum is located in the Brighton area of the United Kingdom. Toy historians find a special experience here with the unique exhibits looking at the history of popular children’s items.
The incredible train models provide a huge drawing appeal for visitors wanting to check them out. Even the architecture of the building is impressive with Victorian archways giving it a fun look. The Brighton Toy and Model Museum prides themselves on having an incredible collection of antique toys that many other museums could only dream of having.
4 National Museum Of Toys And Miniatures
Another United States toy museum is on the list with the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures finding great success in Missouri. It has the largest collection of fine-scale miniature toys in the world if that is a genre you find impressive or interesting.
The history of antique toys also impresses with items like tin toys and vintage dollhouses providing great exhibits. Visitors have been enjoying the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures since the early 80s with over 70,000 people going to the museum each year and likely having a great time.
3 Banned Toy Museum
The Burlingame area of California in the United States is home to the most unique museum on the list. As expected with the name, the Banned Toy Museum looks at toys that were released and banned from being sold again instead of just beloved historical favorites.
Items that were deemed too dangerous like scented crayons that tempted kids into eating them or an Atomic Energy Lab kit with uranium-bearing ore are on display here. The Banned Toy Museum will not take you back to your childhood, but it will surprise you to see just which toys were banned from the public.
2 The Mexican Antique Toy Museum
Mexico City is home of the impressive Mexican Antique Toy Museum that has become a beloved museum in all of Mexico. The museum collection was curated by collector Roberto Shimizu and his son as a passion project to both showcase their love while entertaining others.
Toys on display include superhero displays, Hello Kitty exhibits and robot collections at different levels of the four-floor museum. The Mexican Antique Toy Museum is also known for the strong collection of lucha libre wrestling items with the colorful masks, action figures and other forms of merchandise to appeal to all wrestling fans visiting.
1 World’s Largest Toy Museum Complex
The World’s Largest Toy Museum Complex lives up to the name in the Branson, Missouri area of the United States. Over one million toys are on display at this museum with incredible exhibits to provide an entertaining day for anyone wanting to indulge in the ultimate experience.
Popular brands like Barbie, Disney, Marvel and many others have their own displays. Other popular toys like lunch box collections, train displays, and cast-iron toys all play a role in winning over the visitor. Anyone that loves toys must visit the World’s Largest Toy Museum Complex if in the Branson area or it may be a regret for the rest of your life.