Calling all kids and kidults, National Museum of Singapore’s latest experiential pop-up Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play will have you playing and reminiscing about play times. The pop-up, happening from 5 July 2024 to 5 January 2025, is all about childhood toys across generations.
Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play is a collaboration between National Museum of Singapore, artists and toy collectors to showcase stories of childhood toys through an immersive showcase, large-scale artworks and digital gamified experiences.
Relive the Past at Play:Date Unlocking Cabinets Of Play
Do you have fond memories of toys from your childhood days?
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Who can forget their Barbie dolls, Matchbox car, retro consoles, Mcdonald’s toy collections, Tamagotchi and more? Here’s your chance to take your family to relive those fond memories!
Have a Play:Date at National Museum of Singapore
Step into a world of playful nostalgia at the engaging experiential pop-up, developed as part of the Museum’s Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative. The initiative aims to showcase and collect memories and objects from recent decades.
There are four main segments to look out for at Play:Date with five commissioned artworks on the Museum’s exterior, 280 toys showcased by 10 collectors, digital game machines and a tunnel.
Various parts of the Museum are created for a unique and immersive storytelling experience including temporary spaces and hoardings as part of the Museum’s ongoing restoration and upgrading works.
Artworks on the Exterior of National Museum of Singapore
First check out the hoardings – possibly the most artsy and tactile ones you have ever seen! You can play with the artworks, touch varied textures and even make changes to an artpiece.
Artists Tiffany Lovage (Night Shift), Candice Phang (Joy in the Making), Shian Ng (Playtime Pandemonium), Muhammad Izdi (Flea-ting Moments), Kristal Melson have used toys and play to bring their larger-than-life artworks to the façade of the Museum.
After entering the museum, get greeted by the entrance to Play:Date via a tunnel. Keep your eyes peeled on the animations and a digital parade of toy figurines by local artist Lioncolony.
The figurines are modelled after his iconic Gman character, inspired by a selection of toys from the 1950s to the 2000s from the National Collection and local collectors. Can you spot the 10 toys from the past?
Cabinets Unlocked: Showcase Displaying Collection of Toys
A showcase displaying a collection of toys from local collectors features over 270 toys which many of us would have played with when we were young. The toy collection are from 10 local collectors who have graciously opened up their cabinets to tell stories of their prized collection.
There are three main sections: It’s a Small World, Drive-through Time, and Batteries Included.
It’s a Small World
As in you walk through the giant keyhole, you might instantly recognise the toys that greet you at It’s a Small World.
The series of local McDonald’s toys – including popular Mr Kiasu figurines, miniature burgers and fries, miniature character figurines, and even the Hello Kitty astronaut plushies that everyone queued up for.
Families who are still collecting McDonald’s toys can take this opportunity to show the younger generation the toys we used to collect!
The enduring legacy of Barbie is also captured with the collection of Barbie dolls. There are unique collaborations with local brands and a series made from recycled ocean-bound plastic.
Check out collectibles from ActionCity, plus locally-designed figurines for POP MART and Disney. You can see Pucky Rose Knight, the first Singapore-exclusive figurine, and the first-ever art collectible by Singaporean sculptor Daniel Yu.
Drive-Through Time
Drive-Through Time invites all to check out the cars and reminisce their childhood pastime of racing cars with familiar brands such as Hot Wheels, Tamiya and Matchbox.
Did you know that the Matchbox cars were designed to fit into matchboxes due to function? One of the founders designed the size as his daughter’s school stipulated a rule that only toys that can fit into a matchbox can be brought to school.
Familiar vehicles that might catch your eye include Mr. Bean’s iconic green car, The Original 16 by Hot Wheels, and the Mystery Van from Scooby-Doo.
Batteries Included
The last section Batteries Included features retro game consoles – the very same ones we used to play, grey pixeled version with no touchscreen technology yet.
Of course, the Tamagotchi collection is a must-see. It includes rare designs like Gudetama, Hello Kitty and Pac-Man can be seen upclose. There is a even one that allows you to connect to it to add-on functions. There are also special handheld consoles by Nintendo and Casio, including a unique calculator that doubles up as a boxing game.
Play Arcade-Inspired Games
Apart from checking out the toy displays, visitors can customise their own digital avatar and purchase tokens to play games inspired by old-school gaming arcades. It costs $5 for a starter pack of 3 credits – which means 3 rounds of games. There are three games to play: Memory Match game, Roadblock Highway and Brick Battle. This will be a fun experience for the kids taking on games from their parents’ generation, plus earn points to add accessories to their avatar later on.
Visitors can also view a “live” camera image of themselves via a “8bitfy screen”.
Finally head over to the “Discover Your Play-sonality” section to customise your avatar with a variety of Singapore-themed accessories.
Then hop over to the accompanying photo booth and then take photos of yourselves with the “Play:Mate”.
As part of an open call for the National Museum’s Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative, everyone is also invited to share their own toy stories and to donate their toys dating from the 1980s to the present day. Some of these donations could be displayed in the Museum’s galleries in the future.
Visitors can also purchase old-school knick-knacks from MUSEUM MARTKET by ABRY which is partnering old-school Holland Village party shop Khiam Teck. While this well-loved local toy store has shuttered in May after 80 years, Khiam Tech has been given a new lease of life with ABRY to bring nostalgic and traditional toys and games to Museum visitors.
Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play
This free showcase will run from 5 July 2024 to 5 January 2025.
Head to National Museum of Singapore’s site to find out more.
If you’re keen to check out more toy collections, visit MINT Museum of Toys and Children Little Museum for more toy-themed discoveries.
