Truck (1950) by Geleneksel Eyüp OyuncakçısıIstanbul Toy Museum
"I saw Istanbul for the first time when I was six, and the first place my dad took me was the Archeology Museum. When I came back to Trabzon, I grabbed my mom's rings, necklaces, and earrings to go out on the streets to play 'museum' with my friends. This first museum I thus founded was shut down by my mom who saw me from the window and rushed downstairs as she screamed!"
— Sunay Akın
Traditional Eyüp toy shopsIstanbul Toy Museum
In Istanbul, a place kids were taken to visit prior to experiencing important life events was the Eyüp Sultan Mosque. Boys were accompanied by their families to the Mosque before their circumcision, and children of all ages were taken to this specific mosque for good luck before the start of a new school year.
Soon, toy shops started blossoming around the mosque, which is how traditional Eyüp toy shops came about.
Shadow play illustration by Münif FehimIstanbul Toy Museum
For centuries, shadow play has entertained Turkish audiences during Ramadan. Shadow plays are put on by puppeteering jointed, colored, and semi-transparent figures called "tasvir" from behind a curtain.
Turkish shadow play characters Karagöz and Hacivat (1950) by Geleneksel Eyüp OyuncakçısıIstanbul Toy Museum
Being practiced in Anatolia ever since Yavuz Sultan Selim conquered Egypt in the 16th century, shadow play has continually captured an in-depth slice of the culture. With the ethnic diversity of its characters, dialogs, poetry, humor, dance, and music, each play conveys a rich understanding of its era and the values of its time.
Turkish shadow play is also known as "Karagöz" after its main character.
Traditional Eyüp toy shopsIstanbul Toy Museum
The last Eyüp toy shop was closed in the 1950s.
The Fleischmann factory was founded in Nurnberg, Germany, by tin clockwork toy manufacturer Jean Fleischmann in 1887. Fleischmann is one of the few establishments that has been able to survive in the German toy industry.
Peacock (1930) by Hans EberlIstanbul Toy Museum
Another toy factory founded in Nurnberg was established in 1900 by Hans Eberl. "Pao-Pao" is a tin, clockwork peacock toy and one of the most distinctive examples of Eberl toys, which are made of vivid colors.
Ernst Paul LehmannIstanbul Toy Museum
Lehmann Toys, whose tin figures are known as some of the most valuable antique toys, were first manufactured by Ernst Paul Lehmann at his toy factory founded in 1881, in Germany.
Captain of Koepenick (1906) by LehmannIstanbul Toy Museum
Wilhelm Voigt, originally a shoe salesman, is a man who earns his living through stealing and deceit. In 1906, after obtaining a captain's uniform from an antique shop, he starts commanding a group of soldiers he gathers from the streets of Berlin. He enters the town hall of the Köpenick neighborhood and orders the mayor's arrest. After telling the soldiers to keep guard at the building, with the 4000 Marks from the safe seized at the town hall, he disappears.
Townhall in Köpenick, Berlin.Istanbul Toy Museum
Being sentenced to four years in prison, Voigt gets pardoned by Emperor Wilhelm II, who could not stop laughing when he found out what transpired. Today, at the entrance of Köpenick's town hall stands a sculpture of Wilhelm Voigt as "Captain Kopenick" in a Prussian uniform.
Camille Jenatzy and his car, "Le Jamais Contente"Istanbul Toy Museum
On a track nearby Paris, Belgian race car driver Camille Jenatzy becomes the first person to exceed 100 km/h speed on March 29th, 1899, with his battery-powered car "Le Jamais Content."
UHU (1906) by LehmannIstanbul Toy Museum
Inspired by this, Ernst Paul Lehmann designs a new toy that can operate both on land and on water and names it "UHU."
Lehmann goes on an imaginary world tour with UHU, and inscribes the names of the cities he visits along the way on UHU's hood. According to Lehmann, the imaginary world tour of this 1906 model toy car, which includes Istanbul, begins and ends in his hometown, Berlin. In reality, UHU's latest stop is Istanbul Toy Museum.
The famous Lehmann logo, comprised of the capital letters of "Ernst Paul Lehmann" depicts a printing machine for tin plates.
Tin clockwork toys, first produced by respected French toy company Fernand Martin in 1906, also carry information about their time until today. This toy is a representation of the perception of women's role in the society of its time.
Meanwhile, in the United States, women who were previously dominating science classes in the late 19th century were being encouraged to participate in home economics classes to learn the manage their homes more efficiently.
Dollhouse (1870)Istanbul Toy Museum
First handcrafted in the 16th century, dollhouses display life at the mansions of the time. Rugs, chandeliers, furniture, vases, curtains, and wallpapers are all miniature copies of the country and era they belong to.
Amongst one of the rarest finds in antique toy shops are dollhouses. These houses are usually crafted out of many small wooden pieces.
Dollhouses, with their delicate structure, craftsmanship, and awe-inspiring details, comprise some of the greatest highlights of the Istanbul Toy Museum collection.
These miniature houses, ornamenting houses of wealthy families in Germany and the Netherlands since the 1500s were not initially designed as toys.
Since the decorative pieces of dollhouses are small, they were hazardous for children to play with. Instead, they were displayed in glass cabinets. In time, the inaccessible dollhouses evolved into ones children would play with.
Too Old to Play by Harry BrookerIstanbul Toy Museum
Jules Verne by Étienne CarjatIstanbul Toy Museum
First the dream, then reality. Humans have accomplished whatever they have dreamt of.
The seeds of Apollo 11's moon landing mission in July 20th, 1969, was planted by Jules Verne in his classic, "From Earth to the Moon" in 1865.
Buck Rogers (1927)Istanbul Toy Museum
American made Buck Rogers, exhibited as part of the space toys display at Istanbul Toy Museum is a symbol of this belief. It was produced by Louis Marx in 1927 as the first space rocket figure in history.
When wound up, Buck Rogers, a tin clockwork toy, starts moving on its wheels as a flint igniting mechanism generates sparks from its exhaust.
Comic book cover, "Armageddon 2414 A.D."Istanbul Toy Museum
Buck Rogers was first introduced to the American readers as Anthony Rogers in sci-fi author Philip Nowlan's story "Armageddon 2419 A.D." as part of the Amazing Stories magazine. Nowlan later transformed the story into a comic where Anthony Rogers' name became Buck Rogers. Drawn by American cartoonist Dick Calkins and published on January 7th, 1929, Buck Rogers became the first American sci-fi comic.
Scene from the sci-fi play "R.U.R" written by Karel Capek.Istanbul Toy Museum
Simultaneously, east of the United States in Czechoslovakia, author Karel Capek (1890-1938) was revolutionizing sci-fi literature beyond its time. In 1921, Capek wrote a play called "R.U.R" ("Rossum's Intelligent Robots") through which he originated the concept of robot for the first time in history (also worth mentioning is the spearheading role of the Tin Man in L. Frank Baum's famous "Wizard of Oz," published in 1900.)
"R.U.R" is an important piece in reflecting the concerns of Europeans who already face social and economical problems of the Industrial Revolution.
Karel CapekIstanbul Toy Museum
With his writings about the conflict between humans and AI robots, Karel Capek has inspired many authors including Issac Asimov.
Sunay Akın, Trabzon, 1960s.Istanbul Toy Museum
Another admirer of Capek's creativity, poet and author Sunay Akın gets photographed for his circumcision ceremony in Trabzon at the age of 5. As a decor for this young kid's photo, the photographer hands him a toy ship. It would not be easy for Sunay to separate from the toy he thought was a gift for his circumcision.
Thirty-seven years later, Sunay Akın finds his toy ship "Neptune" at an antique store in Germany. Neptune goes back to his arms again!
Neptune Ship (1960-70) by Masudaya (Modern Toys)Istanbul Toy Museum
Istanbul Toy Museum was founded by Sunay Akın on April 23rd, 2005. Located in a historic mansion, the Museum exhibits highlights of toys manufactured since the 1700s.
While dedicated to the preservation of toys, games, and related ephemera, Istanbul Toy Museum brings children together with their parents, grandparents, and teachers under the same roof, giving access to intergenerational communication and cohesive synthesis of world history through the lens of toys.
Organized by Selin Çamlı Anjel via bluenectar.
Special thanks to Sunay Akın, Gürol Kutlu, Aslı Nuhoğlu, İrem Karacan and Terzihane Yapım.
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