Children today are not deprived of toys: modern dolls can eat porridge and talk to their owners, while machines with sophisticated controls can even turn into robots. But wouldn't a little girl want to cuddle her great-grandmother's doll when she was little?
The doll may be silent, but she has beautiful hair, ruddy cheeks and lace knickers under her dress... Children can see this beautiful collection of old toys at the Falkenstein doll museum in Hamburg.
The museum's collection is based on the toys collected by Elke Droscher. The exhibition covers the period from the beginning of the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century. There are around 500 dolls on display, as well as 60 doll's houses and toy shops. The walls of the rooms are decorated with paintings and old photographs showing children with their toys.
We also recommend a visit to Klick Museum, which is only 9 km away.
The museum's young visitors are fascinated by the expensive outfits and toy furniture that look so much like the real thing. The museum's adult visitors, on the other hand, can see how toy fashions have changed and what the ideal of doll beauty has been through the ages.
Not surprisingly, toys used to have a great educational value. Playing hostess in a toy kitchen or arranging a game in a doll's shop taught a girl to be a tidy and efficient hostess. And when choosing outfits and hairstyles for her doll, the young fashionista had to keep up with the latest trends.
The girls replenished the doll's wardrobe themselves, learning to sew and knit. But do young visitors think of this when they see a toy dressing table made of wood or a table set for dinner with the finest porcelain?
It must be said that the museum has dolls that belonged to children from wealthy families, which is why their outfits and interiors are so luxurious. Unfortunately, boys are unlikely to be interested in the museum, although some of them might like to see the unusual costumes and hairstyles of the boy dolls.
