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Published: February 1st 2011
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Ah, to be a child again
There are so many things I would like to say about this museum. First it was so much more than I expected. Second I was totally enchanted. Third I ended up sad not to be able to stay longer and buy a copy of their magnificent children's film.
The first part of the museum really caught my attention and held me for about half an hour. Someone had made a slide show of hundreds of children from the 1800's to the present with their toys. The pictures were so loving and so compelling. I loved to see pictures of children the age my parents would have been at the time playing with toys that they might have owned. Some I KNEW my mom had owned like the pictures of children with hoops that they rolled around with sticks. I remember her talking about the fun she used to have with that kind of toy. I would see a picture taken in 1924 of a child who appeared to be 6 or 7 or 10 or 11 and just knew my mom or my Aunts Dorothy and Mildred could have had a similar toy
or would have played with friend's toys just like the ones in the slides. Then in the 1940's and 50's I saw my toys and those of my sister Doris .Here before me were children from Spain having the same kind of fun we had. Some of the children had only a toy or two during those years I am sure as they were bad years in Europe. But all in all that slide show had both Bill and me standing and dreaming for a long time. If we had not already almost worn ourselves out walking through a massive fort/palace, we would have watched for an hour I am sure.
The size and variety of toys on display was absolutely amazing. I was too busy enjoying the toys to take pictures until we got to the displays of puppets and theaters. My good friend Vladko here in Prague is a skilled maker of these things and I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures to share with him. Now I wish I had clicked away all over the museum.
The final fun of the visit was a film showing in a room where you could sit
down and watch it comfortably. By that time I was pretty tired since the museum had kept me on my feet for a very long time. The film was about two children and the adventures they had with pop-up books. It was THE most imaginative film for children I have ever seen in my life. Nothing that Walt Disney or any of the new animators who have done films like 'Toy Story" has done comes even close to the perfection and brilliance of this film. I was determined to buy the CD or Video I was sure would be on sale. I was dreadfully disappointed to learn that the film was made especially for the Toy Museum and some kind of agreement had been signed that copies of it can not be made for the purpose of selling them to the public. What a mistake! They could certainly produce and release the film to acclaim all over the world. You need not speak a word of any language to understand the film. I hope someone will be able to talk them into getting a change made in their agreement with the producers. I WANT a copy of this film.
If you go to Figueres, Spain and fail to go to the Toy Museum, it would be as silly as going there and not visiting the Dali Museum. I know most people don't realize it is even in town. I hope this blog helps to publicize one of the best things we did on our Christmas vacation!
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Bob Harrison
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Ah, to be a child again
Thanks for this summary---and photos--of your visit. We do not play enough!