Description
Turkish poet and author Mr. Sunay Akın has opened the first and the only private toy museum of Turkey on 23.April.2005. This opening date was not chosen randomly. April 23rd is an important day in the history of the Turkish Republic. It was on this day that the Grand National Assembly first met in 1923. It is also when the country simultaneously celebrates National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, dedicated this important date to the children of the world.
Sunay Akın had noticed a toy museum in Nürnberg-Germany in 1990 and laid the foundations of the Istanbul Toy Museum with a toy horse he purchased from an antique shop in Germany. He expanded his collection for over 15 years and has collected 7000 antique toys. Meanwhile he has made serious efforts to convert the historical villa, belonging to his family, into a cozy museum. 4000 toys are on display in this four-floor museum located in Göztepe, Istanbul. The oldest is a miniature violin manufactured in France in the year 1817. A doll made in the United States in the 1820’s, a set of marbles also from United States dating back to the 1860’s, tin toys from Germany, plus porcelain dolls are amongst other items of the extensive collection.
The interior décor and displays were arranged by a professional stage designer. Each room resembles a different theater stage. For instance, when you enter the gallery of space toys, you encounter hining stars overhead, whereas miniature train sets are exhibited in a genuine train compartment.
Istanbul Toy Museum became a model for the other toy museums to be established in our country. In 2011 Antalya Toy Museum (belongs to Antalya Metropolitan Municipality), in 2013 Gaziantep Play and Toy Museum (belongs to Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality), in 2015 Düştepe Play and Toy Museum (belongs to Ataşehir Municipality), in 2017 Canik Toy Museum (belongs to Canik Municipality) and Kartal Fairy Tale Museum (belongs to Kartal Municipilaty) opened their doors to the visitors under the counseling and the curating of Sunay Akın who is the founder of Istanbul Toy Museum.
Our museum tells the history of dreams and science with the language of toys. While the stories of toys present visitors a history of the world, it opens the doors leading back to their past.While entering the museum your child will hold one of your hands and when leaving, your childhood will be holding the other...
