Venezuela: Merida – Museo Del Juguete Mario Calderon

This was a totally unexpected and surprising find – Museo Del Juguete Mario Calderon – a museum of toys and collectibles with a vast and very diverse exhibition collection. Founded by Venezuelan artisan and collector Mario Calderón, this house-museum has over 3,000 vintage and handcrafted toys spanning from the late 19th century through the late 20th century. There is a bit of everything in here – antic soldiers, wooden figurines. hand-painted tin cars, porcelain dolls, music boxes, optical toys, and traditional Venezuelan folk art pieces. There is a special room dedicated to circus-related toys, and another room with mechanical toys like carousels, hand-operated puppet theaters, and wind-up wooden submarines. Many toys are true centuries-old antiques, like 1890 porcelain dolls, 1920 trains, and much more.