The Toy Museum, founded by poet and writer Sunay Akın, opened to visitors on April 23, 2005. The museum was established with over 1000 toys purchased from antique shops and auctions in more than forty countries around the world over a period of twenty years.

Today, over 4000 toys are exhibited in the Toy Museum. The toys in the museum were purchased with the artist’s earnings from his books, theater plays and television programs. Sunay Akın used his family’s five-story historical mansion in Göztepe to realize this big dream. The museum, each room of which resembles a theater stage, was designed by stage design artist Ayhan Doğan.

The museum is the first museum designed and established by a poet and a stage design artist. The Istanbul Toy Museum, which is the only example of its kind, is the only one in our country and we can say that it is one of the richest examples in the world.

The museum has been a member of the “International Museum Association” since 2009 and takes part in the activities of the European Museum Forum. Moreover, it was nominated for an award in the “Best Museum in Europe” competition in both 2010 and 2011.

While toys from various dates are seen in the museum, visitors also embark on a journey through history. The Istanbul Toy Museum exhibits toys from the 1700s to the present day. In the section where space toys are exhibited, you see the theme of traveling to the Moon, and in the train toys section, the theme is the industrial revolution. In every section you enter the museum, you can feel the spirit of the time through the language of the toys.

Thanks to this historical richness, the museum attracts the attention of everyone from seven to seventy-seven. One feels as if he has returned to his childhood with a time machine. The Istanbul Toy Museum has taken the lead in establishing a union of children’s and toy museums in the world and has brought the title of ‘capital of toy museums’ to Istanbul.

One of the most interesting toys in the museum, which has managed to attract great attention from everyone who visits, is a yellow submarine toy that inspired the song Yellow Submarine by The Beatles. In this museum, it is possible to see toys that reflect Hitler’s Nazi Germany, the period of moon flight attempts, and the history of the wars.

It is very fascinating to see how children experience and understand historical reality by playing. History has shed light on toys, and toys have shed light on history. When you enter this huge mansion that smells of childhood, you can be fascinated by the magic of the toys on one hand, and on the other hand, you can wonder who played with these toys years ago, and you can feel that sense of experience deep down.

To go to the museum, you can get on the Marmara from our hotel, get off at the Erenköy Stop, and reach the museum with a 12-minute walk.