In one place, objects that every child once dreamed of have been brought together. Visitors can find teddy bears stuffed with sawdust, dolls that were forever losing their shoes, and a wooden rocking horse. There are also moving wonders to see: plastic excavators, an “Ikarus” bus and a metal car powered by the legs of its young driver—an object of desire for every boy. Rarities include a children’s piano, a “Little Handyman” set and a “Precyzja” revolver. Today, many of these toys are cult objects and genuine gems for collectors.
The exhibition rooms have been arranged to recreate the atmosphere of a genuine three-room flat from the era of the Polish People’s Republic. In the living room, visitors can watch the television version of the timeless “Bolek and Lolek”, play board games or a real table football game. It is no longer clear who enjoyed them more—the parents or their children. In addition, a children’s room arranged in one of the exhibition spaces contains an “Ania” projector—a genuine hit of the 1970s, on which such films as “The Jungle Book”, “Hansel and Gretel” and “The Lying Goat” will be shown.
For parents, this exhibition is a unique opportunity to return, if only for a moment, to the land of childhood dreams; for their children, it is a wonderful chance to discover at least a little of that world.
The exhibition was prepared using items from the Museum of Toys and Play in Kielce. It will be open to visitors from 1 June in the museum building on Kutuzowa Street. Admission to the exhibition will be free.
(information: Museum of Ceramics/G. Hanaf )