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What the shop windows in a prominent pedestrian location in the middle of Basel already proclaim is confirmed at every turn inside the Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel: in this place, the exhibited objects are treated with respect. On more than a thousand square meters, distributed over four floors, they are given due exhibition space. Like the precious exhibits, the venerable building itself, dating from 1867, has been completely restored to the highest technical standards. Wheelchair-accessible from the Ristorante La Sosta on the first floor to the top exhibition rooms, it fully meets the requirements of the most modern museum design. And the same high standards as for the architecture were also applied to the exhibition concept. The exhibits are presented behind spacious, custom-made display cases made of wood and glass. The objects on display have been arranged in a playful and imaginative manner to form interlocking, true-to-the-original themed landscapes.

No forest of signs disturbs the visual experience. And without any misconceived tendency towards systematics, the objects are not simply lined up in chronological order according to their origin and categories. Those with specialist knowledge who would like to know more can still find the information they need quickly and easily using their own smartphone or tablet as an interactive museum guide, the interactive touchscreens at the info consoles or in the catalog.

Meanwhile, the toys on display seem to be busy with each other. Large dolls play in the merchant's store. Teddies with pedal cars are engaged in a fierce race. And at the push of a button, an entire amusement park is set in motion. Thanks to sophisticated computer control, the action comes to life. High-tech and antiques complement each other perfectly.

With over 6000 exhibits, the Toy World Museum Basel is the largest of its kind in Europe. Doll's houses and merchants' stores are the main focus on the lower floors of the museum. Many once served their purpose in the playroom. Others, however, were made from the outset purely as objects of contemplation. Here, there were no limits to the pursuit of perfection and scale. Whether they are noble toys or purposeless art products, all exhibits have in common, however, careful execution, individuality, ingenuity, beauty, and the all-embracing attention to detail.

The Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel is committed to this tradition of arts and crafts. While most of the exhibits date from the decades around the turn of the 20th century, contemporary miniatures and cases can also be found on the third floor. Targeted commissions are made to bring new, unconventional installations to the museum.

In addition, the Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel expands its collection area several times a year. Special exhibitions on a wide variety of themes invite visitors to take cultural excursions and highlight the unknown or unnoticed.

Finally, the display windows on the outside provide variety. In the course of the seasons, they are dedicated to new themes and invite passers-by in a hurry to linger for a while.

Teddy bears and dolls populate the entire building. From the heyday of doll manufacturing from around 1870 to 1920, practically all the well-known manufacturers are represented in the museum. The teddy bears, whose triumphant march through children's homes began shortly after the turn of the century, are given pride of place on the fourth floor. This bear boom can be traced back to a hunting episode of the American President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902. And just two years later, in 1904, our oldest Teddy saw the light of day! He is joined by a gift - a particularly charming specimen, of course - from the aforementioned president to a friend, as well as over 2,000 other congeners, most of them born before 1950; among them a considerable number with the legendary button in the ear from the Steiff company. This renowned manufacturer is represented in our collection with a wide range of different models from several decades. But also those who want to examine the products of the other American or European traditional brands will get their money's worth in the Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel. In abundance and quality, the Basel collection is unique in the whole world.

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.