Toys Alive!

 June 2026 - Toronto ON

Another Toronto Reference Library exhibit.

About the exhibit

Ever wonder what toys get up to when you’re not around? We dove into the toy box to find out.

From teddy bears searching for honey to toy soldiers on patrol, this joyful all-ages exhibit brings together literary treasures from the late 1800s to today, drawn from our world-renowned Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books. Explore archival materials, book-related art, toys, manuscripts and first editions—all tied to stories where toys come alive.

Highlights include:

Early editions of Winnie-the-Pooh, The Velveteen Rabbit and Pinocchio

Pinocchio-inspired puppet stage photo op

Interactive station to “make and take” your own wooden peg doll

Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Robert Louis Stevenson, E. Nesbit and Frances Hodgson Burnett

Raggedy Ann books and other doll tales

Rare pop-up books for children

Illustrations by Arthur Rackham (reproductions)

DigitalArchive.TPL.ca

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge

Rainbow Colors (must have 4 colors)

January 2019 - Mazatlan Mexico

Good Random Fun

August 2017 - Burlington ON

Who knew what randomness you could find at the Royal Botanical Gardens?

Linking up:
The Good The Random The Fun

La Esquina Museo del Juguete Mexicano

February 2016 - San Miguel de Allende Mexico

San Miguel's toy museum, La Esquina, Museo del Juguete Mexicano (The Corner, Mexican Toy Museum) is located at Nuñez #40 and contains a collection of over 1000 traditional toys.

Don't be fooled by this map that last block of San Francisco is very steep, just be glad the museum is only halfway up the hill.

We arrived around 4:30 PM and the sunlight was producing immense shadows on the glass display cabinets.

There are three permanent display rooms: one dedicated to dollhouses, another to animals and transportation, and the third room is called "the fair," and shows masks, musical instruments and miniature fairground rides. 

I think adults appreciate this museum more than children.

The ingenuity and creativity that went into the crafting of these folk toys is astounding.

Lucha libre (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlutʃa ˈlibɾe], meaning "freestyle wrestling") is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries. Although the term nowadays refers exclusively to professional wrestling, it was originally used in the same style as the English term "freestyle wrestling",referring to an amateur wrestling style without the restrictions of Greco-Roman wrestling.

Mexican wrestling is characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, as well as "high-flying" maneuvers, some of which have been adopted in the United States. The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached. 

Snakes and ladders.

I want this doll house!! So traditional.

And a little known secret is the incredible view of the town and surrounding area from the lovely terrace.

This doesn't look as steep as it is!

 As well you get a very good view of life on the rooftops of this magical town.

Back inside.

Click here for our next stop - Guanajuato.

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