Toys: Treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood
Toys: Treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, on show at Hackney Museum, features a sparkling selection of toys, games and dolls from the world-renowned V&A Museum of Childhood.
The exhibition boasts toys from 500BC to the present day, including teddy bears, toy soldiers, train sets, model cars, puppets, rocking horses, costumes, board games, some of the first jigsaw puzzles ever made – there’s even a Rubik’s Cube from 1981.
“This exhibition is for the young, and the young at heart," said Cllr Nargis Khan, Hackney Council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure.
“Toys have been, and continue to be, central to the childhood experience. We are delighted to have this rare opportunity to bring to Hackney some of the treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, while it is closed until the end of a 2006 for a major redevelopment and refurbishment programme,” she said.
Highlights include a 2500-year-old carved bone doll from Egypt, a teddy bear made by Margerete Steiff in Germany in the 1920s, and a wooden Noah’s Ark made around 1830 in Germany.
“We are really excited and proud to be able to show these remarkable toys, games and dolls to the people of Hackney in their own Museum. It is amazing to see a 2500-year-old Egyptian doll and think children today are still playing with and loving their dolls,” said Sophie Perkins, Hackney Museum’s Manager.
Toys features an enchanting toy town with a wooden railway, complete with a river and dockside. Visitors can play with trains and load and unload cargo at the riverside wharf, while budding planners and engineers can extend the railway network to their own design.
Items from Hackney Museum’s collections will also be displayed, reflecting the development of toys and exploring themes that link toys from different times, places and cultures.
Toys: Treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, is on at the Hackney Museum from 7 March to 8 July 2006 and is supported by the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood.
Also on show: Chinese Culture and Roots, from 4 April to 27 May, celebrates the Chinese Heritage and Young Roots project. The World on your Doorstep presents Hackney’s history in a fun and engaging way. Discover why people have come to Hackney from all over the world for the past 1000 years in this permanent exhibition.
Events programme
Hackney Museum will host a lively events programme in association with Toys. All of events are free, for all the family and on a drop-in basis.
Treasured Toys: Thursday 23 March, 6:30–8pm
Catherine Howell, Collections Officer of the V&A Museum of Childhood, talks about the museum’s collections.
Toy Theatres, Saturday 1 April, 2-4pm
Make your own toy theatre inspired by our exciting exhibition.
Teddy Bears Picnic, Thursday 6 April, 2-4pm
Make your own teddy bears picnic from scrap materials and lots of imagination!
Moving Toys, Thursday 13 April, 2-4pm
Make your own toys with pop-up people and moving wheels.
Celebrate Chinese Style, Saturday 29 April, 11am-1pm
Start off your weekend with a lion dance and other fantastic Chinese cultural activities. Fun for all the family.
Junk Toys, Saturday 6 May, 2-4pm
Using recycled materials make your own fantastic toy using the exhibition as inspiration.
Crazy Games, 1 June Thursday, 2-4pm
Play board games from around the world with Mem and Vicky from Universal Board Games.
Finger Puppet Fun, Saturday 1 July, 2-4pm
Create fun felt finger-puppets with Tajender.
Hackney Museum, Technology & Learning Centre, 1 Reading Lane, Hackney E8 1GQ, phone: 020 8356 3500 email: hackneymuseum@hackney.gov.uk
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9.30am – 5.30pm
Thursday: 9.30am – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Closed: Sunday and Monday
Page updated: 28 Feb 2007