National Museum of Singapore's new toy exhibit features Hello Kitty, Tamagotchi, Mr Kiasu and more

You're never too old to enjoy toys with your loved ones. Add the National Museum to the mix and you've got yourselves a great place for your next play date.

From Jul 5, 2024 to Jan 5, 2025, the National Museum is home to a brand-new exhibit titled Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets Of Play where visitors can marvel at toy collections and large-scale artworks, and even take part in digital gamified experiences.

Here's what you can expect at Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets Of Play.

1. TOY COLLECTIONS

The exhibit feature over 250 locally and globally recognisable toys from the 1980s till today. The toys are grouped under three sections: It's A Small World, Drive-Through Time and Batteries Included.

Were you one of the many Singaporeans who queued up for McDonald’s toys like Mr Kiasu figurines and Hello Kitty plushies decades ago? Well, you can now relive the good ol' days at It's A Small World which highlights popular miniature character figurines.

Here, you'll also get to see vintage Barbie dolls sporting the uniforms of Singapore Airlines stewardesses. 

Younger fans, on the other hand, can enjoy looking at Singapore-exclusive Pop Mart figures which are sold out and highly coveted by collectors.

At Drive-Through Time, you'll see an array of model cars from the likes of Hot Wheels, Tamiya, and Matchbox. Enthusiasts will be glad to know that The Original 16 (the first-ever collection of cars released by Hot Wheels in 1968) will be displayed in this section. 

Drive-Through Time also features a custom Tamiya Rover Mini Cooper which has been painted to look like pop culture icon Mr Bean's green car.

Before the days of touchscreen games, handheld consoles reigned supreme. Displayed at Batteries Included are iconic digital games such as Tamagotchi and special handheld consoles by Nintendo and Casio, including a unique calculator that allows students to play a boxing game.

2. LARGE-SCALE ARTWORKS

No museum experience is complete without art works and at Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets Of Play, you'll get to see them before you even enter the pop-up. 

The hoarding around the Museum’s facade has been decorated with five large-scale commissioned artworks by five local artists.

On the other hand, the tunnel leading to the pop-up houses a digital parade of toy figurines by local artist Lioncolony, also known as Oh Jia Hao.

3. DIGITAL GAMIFIED EXPERIENCES 

Arcade gaming takes on a new form in this section. To start, you'll have to purchase a Starter Pack (S$5) to get your avatar and game credits. Accumulate points by playing Memory Match, where you have to memorise a sequence of objects on the screen; Roadblock Highway, where you can engage in an adrenaline-filled virtual race; or Brick Battle, where you need to break bricks as quickly as possible.

For an added dose of nostalgia, you'll be able to see a "live" 8-bit camera image of yourself via an 8-bitify screen.

Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play is a free showcase. However, separate fees apply for the digital gamified experiences. For more information, check out the National Museum's website.