POP-UP In The Museum
(30 August to 22 September 2024)
Experience the thrill of Formula 1 and delve into the history of Grand Prix through a series of pre-race programmes by POP-UP In The Museum at the MINT Museum of Toys. The programmes below are curated specially for the Grand Prix™ Season Singapore 2024.
Grand Prix Motor Racing, eventually evolving into ‘Formula’ racing, has captivated the world since 1894 with the first Grand Prix in Singapore taking place in 1961, known as the Orient Year Grand Prix.
Located at 26 Seah Street, a street historically home to Hainanese who first settled in Singapore in the 1910s, the museum pays tribute to this ancestry with a Hainanese Chicken Rice Rooftop Lunch experience for guests who are game to indulge in one of earliest and best chicken rice in Singapore.
After a hearty lunch, embark on Vintage Racing Toy Cars Guided Tours to explore the museum’s vintage Grand Prix racing cars made between 1930s – 1970s such as a collectable postcard depicting Troy Ruttman from the Indy 500 race in 1952 or the McLaren M23 Texaxo Grand Prix Racing Car from the 1970s.
Families with children ages 5 – 12 years can sign up for Racing Car Craft Workshops, a child-friendly programme created to spark a love for learning through toys and play and be able to bring home your own Racing Car or get your hands on a Retro Grand Prix Board Game from 1958 and learn some fun tips on how to manoeuvre the race!
For those who are new to the Grand Prix adventure, catch Grand Prix (1966), an American sports drama film detailing the fate of four Formula One drivers through a fictionalised version of the 1966 Formula One season at the museum’s latest cinematic screening space, giving you insights to the world of this exhilarating sport.
Part of the excitement of watching the Grand Prix Race is often paired with a cool thirst quencher or glass of alcohol in hand! The museum offers a Happy Hour in the Museum experience where guests can enjoy wines before heading to the Marina Bay Street Circuit which is just 10-20 minutes walk away!
The above programmes are specially curated for Grand Prix Season Singapore and is an annual event showing the museum’s efforts of appreciating the history and evolution of this motor-racing sport as well as celebrating Singapore’s local culture and its first street circuit in Asia designed for Formula One races.
POP-UP In The Museum will be filled with these unforgettable pre-race programmes from 30 August to 22 September 2024.
Programmes
VINTAGE RACING TOY CARS GUIDED TOURS
Riding into the Grand Prix Season Singapore, the museum has on display a series of rare and vintage toy cars made between the 1930s to 1970s, modelled after famous Grand Prix racing cars such as the Astro Boy Ferrari Sigma Grand Prix Show Car or the McLaren M23 Texaxo Grand Prix Racing Car paying tribute to Grand Prix motor racing, a motorsport competition with a history dated as early as 1894.
This tour is free for up to 2 children (ages 7 – 12) with an accompanying adult!
Racing Car Craft Workshop
Children ages 5 – 12 years can sign up for this racing car craft workshop created specially for children to spark a love for learning about cars through play. This workshop includes the use of recycled wood that are environmentally friendly to assemble and paint a racing car model while also learning early concepts of car parts, mechanisms and about Grand Prix automotive history.
The programme includes a 15 minutes guided tour to explore the museum’s vintage toy car collection followed by a 45 minutes workshop with all materials provided by the museum.
Hainanese Chicken Rice Rooftop Lunch
Paying tribute to Singapore’s most popular street food – Hainanese Chicken Rice! Served in traditional old school hawker wrapped paper, indulge one of earliest and best chicken rice in Singapore with a rooftop scenic view overlooking Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands.
After lunch, join a docent to explore vintage toy cars and collectables from 1930s – 1970s from the museum’s toy collections modelled after famous Grand Prix racing cars such as the Astro Boy Ferrari Sigma Grand Prix Show Car or the McLaren M23 Texaxo Grand Prix Racing Car.
Happy Hour In The Museum
To elevate the pre-race experience, embark on a wine drinking experience between 1-4pm with a bottle of La Petite Gargotte Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc wines from France. You may also add-on a guided tour to explore the museum’s vintage Grand Prix racing toy cars collection while appreciating wines at the museum. General admission ticket applies.
GRAND PRIX (1966) SPORTS DRAMA FILM SCREENING
Spend your pre-race afternoon with us before heading to the F1 actual races and relax at the museum’s latest movie screening space to catch Grand Prix (1966), an American sports drama film detailing the fate of four Formula One drivers through a fictionalised version of the 1966 Formula One season at the museum’s latest cinematic screening space, giving you insights to the world of this exhilarating sport.
ARCHIVES INVITES: EARLY TOYS & TRADITIONAL FOLK GAMES
A sharing by the founder of MINT Museum of Toys at the National Archives of Singapore on 23 August 2024.
MINT Museum of Toys at the Archives Talk
‘Archives Talk’ is one of the programmes curated by National Archives of Singapore as part of All Things Singapore (AT SG) 2024, held in conjunction with Singapore Night Festival. In 2024, the topic for the Archives Talk is related to Singapore Night Festival’s theme on ‘The Art of Play‘. The MINT Museum of Toys was specially invited to share about the history of Singapore toys and traditional games due to the museum’s vast vintage collections between 1840s to 1980s from over 40 countries and the speaker of the talk was its very own founder – Mr Chang Yang Fa.
Mr Chang shared insights about a series of childhood toys and games he, his community and children of the early 1950s era made and played with in the past. Through this sharing, he aims to share with the general public more about the museum’s depth of research, curatorial works and efforts to preserve and conserve vintage toys and collectables for generations come to learn of the past, present and future.
The museum has a collection dedicated to ‘Early Toys and Traditional Folk Games’ under the exhibition ‘Collectables’, you can find out more about it here.
About the Collection at the Museum
In Level 2: Collectables, the exhibition explores the wide array of vintage toys beginning from the collection of early toys and traditional folk games between 1930s – 1970s which evokes a huge sense of nostalgia for many.
The toys and games we have come to know today are often embedded in digital devices. However, during our grandparents era, many were wrought out of pure imagination. Since most of the working-class were unable to afford industrial-made imported toys, children would often create their own games using household items. Today, these toys and games are fondly remembered as ‘kampong games’.
Featured above is a ‘Gasing’ top made in Singapore in the 1950s with the word ‘Singapore’ engraved on. In a glance, the gasing top’s material looks like ‘metal but in fact, it is actually wood with gold paint.
Discover more about Early Toys and Traditional Folk Games with a Guided Tour
To find out more about early toys and traditional folk games in Singapore, visit our museum today and opt for a Around the World in 60 Minutes guided tour which is sure to give you a in-depth understanding of the museum and its collections.
You may also read about 4 key vintage toys with old school charm here.
POP-UP IN THE MUSEUM
28 June Friday – 21 July Sunday 2024
POP-UP In The Museum features thematic guided tours & workshops, cinematic screenings, collaborative exhibitions, shopping events and F&B experiences in the museum happening at curated periods of time along the year.
Pop-up concepts have a history that dates back many centuries to the earliest known travelling merchants and grew in popularity from the early 2000s and brands used temporary locations to build awareness and promote products that can appeal to customers.
POP-UP In The Museum at the MINT Museum of Toys carries an edge over regular pop-ups by bringing out the nostalgia and significance of pop-up culture and brands while still tapping into contemporary trends that draws in various communities in the museum industry, arts & culture sector or collecting world.
Collaborative Exhibition (28 June – 13 July 2024)
For Women by Women, A Collection of Door of Hope Dolls & Vintage Handbags
For Women by Women, A Collection of Door of Hope Dolls & Vintage Handbags features Door of Hope Dolls made between 1910s – 1930s from Shanghai, China from the museum’s Childhood Favourites toy collection as well as a line of vintage and rare luxury handbags from the 1990s such as Chanel Dianas and Hermes Kellys. The exhibition explores the parallels of women’s roles and power during the early 20th century and present day.
Established in 1901 in Shanghai, China, the Door of Hope Missionary was founded by Miss Laura M, White, a southern Baptist missionary with the primary goal of rescuing, sheltering, educating and training young Chinese girls and women who were often victims of poverty, human trafficking and exploitation. These women were offered a safe environment and learnt skills such as sewing, embroidery and wood carving to make handcrafted dolls dressed in traditional attires, ethnic and religious garments reflective of life in the 1900s Shanghai. These handcrafted dolls became a significant source of income for the missionary and contributed to the legacy of the Door of Hope Mission today, highlighting the impact of early missionary work that has helped improve the lives of vulnerable populations through education and training.
In the Present Day, the roles and power of women has shifted significantly from a time where women were limited to domestic roles with limited education, employment and restrictive social expectations which dictates dress codes, behaviour and societal participation. Today, women participate in a wide range of roles involving leadership, entrepreneurship and have far greater access to higher education and career opportunities.
This exhibition aims to highlight the transformation of women’s roles from the 1900s to the present day, marked by significant advancement in rights, education and employment.
Free Access
Open House
20 July Saturday 2024 & 21 July Sunday 2024
Exhibition
The Museum’s Largest Exhibition of Vintage Toys & Collectables
Specially for POP-UP In The Museum Free Access Open House Weekend, the museum’s largest exhibition of vintage toys and collectables – Collectables is available for self-guided exploration for free.
In Level 2: Collectables, the exhibition explores the wide array of vintage toys beginning from the collection of early toys and traditional folk games which evokes a sense of nostalgia to the golden age of toys during the industrial revolution. Following the mass production of toys since the industrial revolution, the exhibition also showcases the impacts of globalisation leading to the commercialisation of toys. In addition, the exhibition will also investigate how toys can document history and become catalysts for social and political movements in the past.
Thematic Guided Tour
Unveiling the Glamour of Beauty Trends Since 1920s
This guided tour explores fashion as an ever-evolving concept since the roaring 1920s era to the era of innovation in the 1930s, turbulent war period during 1940s as well as post-war period of 1950s.
Our guide will provide you insights into the captivating world of vintage makeup, hairstyles and fashion through curated displays of toys and collectables from the museum’s Collectables toy collection. Learn about some of the influential figures and cultural shifts that shaped glamorous looks such as the first modern swimsuit which came into the fore during 1930s and understand how some of these trends continue to inspire modern beauty today.
Vintage Luxury Handbags Shopping
A line of vintage and rare luxury handbags from the 1990s such as Chanel Dianas and Hermes Kellys sourced by online luxury boutique – My Grandfather’s Things will be on display and sale.
This is a 2-day free-access shopping event on 20 July 2024 & 21 July 2024 at the MINT Museum of Toys.
A Drinking Experience At The Public Gallery
Inviting all wine-loving folks to ‘wine’ down between 12pm – 630pm at the museum’s versatile yet unconventional gallery space – The Public Gallery located at the rooftop level.
Happening during the last weekend of this season’s POP-UP In The Museum, guests can choose to enjoy either a full bodied rich Merlot or a light crisp dry Sauvignon Blanc, both from the French Winery – Les Producteurs Reunis. Enjoy this drinking experience at The Public Gallery by the glass or by bottle! This experience is available for booking at Level R (Rooftop) between 12pm – 630pm only.
Fees applies (No Service Charge & GST)
Exhibition: Vintage Enamel Advertising Signs
This exhibition located at the rooftop level of the museum (Level R) features the museum’s vintage enamel advertising signs collection which traces how vintage enamel signs document the many facets of everyday life for middle-class consumers between the 1800s to the mid-1900s. Two collections – Tasks at Home and Infant Care – investigate the domestic lives of women, while the Delicacies of the Middle Class collection offers a rare look at historic 19th century chocolate manufacturers. Or, discover the leisure activities of working and middle-class folk through the Industrial Alehouses and Travel and Transportation collections – which explore industrial drinking culture and innovations to transportation respectively.
Featured Exhibitions
Discover featured exhibitions at 5 stairwells of the museum namely:
- Stairwell R/5: Vintage Decorative Tins
- Stairwell 5/4: Birth of Astro Boy
- Stairwell 4/3: Spooky Horror
- Stairwell 3/2: Bedtime Stories
- Stairwell 2/1: Beatles Memorabilia
For enquiries about POP-Up In The Museum or if you are keen to collaborate with the museum for pop-ups, please email info@emint.com