Toys draw visitors to museum

ANTALYA – Anadolu Agency

Ssmall figurines of well-known film people such as Elvis Presley and Cher, as well as the heroes of films like 'Casablanca,' 'Gone with the Wind' and 'King Kong,' are on display at the museum.

Nearly 3,000 old toys, collected by Turkish writer Sunay Akın from all around the world, are being displayed at the Antalya Toy Museum, which was opened by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality in 2011.
The toys date back to the years between 1890 and 1980.

Most of the museum visitors are children but those who want to see the toys of their childhood and recall their memories are also frequent visitors to the museum.

Cartoon character Red Kit; his dog, Rin Tin Tin; their enemy, the Dalton Brothers; small figurines of well-known film people such as Elvis Presley and Cher, as well as the heroes of films like “Casablanca,” “Gone with the Wind” and “King Kong,” are on display at the museum.

Visitors can also see toys recalling the Stone Age, the Space Age and other epochs. The museum also presents automobile and animal figures whose production began in the 1950s, as well as wooden toys made by Anatolian children.

Antalya Toy Museum Director Saliha Özdemir İpek said the museum had so far drawn 130,000 visitors. She said approximately 3,000 people visit the museum every month. “Our museum seems like it appeals to children but we host guests from all age groups. They take great pleasure in visiting the museum. Every piece in the museum has a story and reflects the culture and features of an era.”