User:Mint museum
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[edit] Mint Museum of Toys
Mint (Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys), the world's first purpose-built museum for toys, opened its door to the public in May 2006 and was officially opened by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr George Yeo on 5 March 2007. Located at 26 Seah Street, in the Arts & Heritage district of Singapore, the museum showcases an extensive collection of vintage toys, including rare and unique one-of-a-kind toys.
[edit] The Collection
The museum collection, the largest in Southeast Asia outside Japan, includes more than 50,000 pieces of vintage toys and childhood memorabilia from the mid-19th century to mid-20th Century. All the toys displayed in the museum are the lifetime collection of 57 year-old Singaporean, Mr Chang Yang Fa, an alumni from St Andrew's School.
One of the objectives of the museum is to “reach out to the child in every one of us”. A visit to the museum gives the visitors an emotional link to their childhood, one which has often been long forgotten.
The unique collection, valued at over S$5 million, originates from more than 25 countries including Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States and even Bulgaria. These include Disneyana toys and memorabilia; Character toys such as Astro Boy, Batman, Bonzo the Dog, Dan Dare, Popeye the Sailor, etc; Pre-war Japanese toys; China-made toys, including a 'Door of Hope' doll collection dating from the turn of the 20th Century; Teddy Bear Collection and a unique collection of Chinese comics and comic covers dating from 1920's; Golden Age Comics; and Tintin collectables, amongst others. More than half of the collection was found in Singapore and can be regarded as part of Singapore's heritage.
[edit] The Mint Facade
The collection is housed within an award winning five-storey contemporary building designed by Mr Chan Soo Khian, Principal Architect of the widely acclaimed SCDA Architects, recipient of several awards such as the highly prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects Worldwide Awards, the 2006 Inaugural President’s Design Award, Designers of the Year category and 2006 Inaugural SIA-Getz Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia.
SCDA's entry, the Mint Museum of Toys has garnered international awards including The Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design “International Architecture Awards” 2007 and was Runners Up in the Commercial Building Category for the Cityscape Architectural Review Award, held on 4 December 2006, at Cityscape Dubai 2006.
The basement boutique cafe of the museum displays the museum's signature mural painted by Norwegian artist, Einstein Kristiansen.
With its avant garde design, in particular its facade, the building complements and enhances the unique character of the entire collection.
[edit] The Mint Experience
The Café, Restaurant and Wine Bar in the basement offer a relaxed yet sophisticated ambience for casual and formal dining. A comprehensive menu, featuring both international and local cuisine, is available to suit all palates. For special holidays, such as Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and special occasions, all four floors of the Museum will be open for dining among the toys.
Mint Museum of Toys, being another unique tourist landmark, is fully supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and other government agencies such as the National Heritage Board (NHB) and Spring Singapore.
Conveniently located at 26 Seah Street right in the heart of the city opposite Raffles Hotel, the Mint Museum of Toys brings everyone aged from 9 to 90 on a unique nostalgic “journey of re-discovery”.
