Submitted by: Rita Borges

Getting There

? Where is it? 3rd District, Impasse Berthraud (off 22 Rue Beaubourg)

? How do I get there? Bus 29, 38. 47. Metro Station Rambuteau

? When is it open? Tuesdays to Sundays 10h00 to 18h00

? What does it cost? Adults 8, under 16 s and over 65 s 6, under 11 s 4

When You Get There

Expect to be charmed by a privately-owned museum at the end of a dog-leg cul-de-sac, fifty meters away from Centre Pompidou Museum of Modern Art. You are transported from urban Paris down a cobbled path and through a charming little garden, into a fantasy world created by the Odin family. And their museum is not just for kids and doll-collectors either. We all had dolls or cuddly toys when we were young. Who knows what childhood memories you could evoke in the next few hours.

The inhabitants of Mus e de la Poup e Doll Museum are delightfully displayed in tableaux and dressed in ways you might never have expected. The schoolroom will intrigue you as much as will the little girl s posing together in a park. And then there s grandpapa in his workshop and a group of high school girls preparing for their prom – can you believe this? Every display is perfectly presented to enable you to enter into their little paradigm, as if you were seeing it for yourself.

Father and Son Guido and Sammy Odin complete the picture in colorful top hat and tails, as they greet you with a friendly smile and introduce you to their tiny treasures. There s no rush here and no pressure from the next tour waiting ether. Wander at your leisure through the different rooms. Let the child in you take over.

The Insider Edge

? There are six different galleries each dedicated to a different purpose. The first deals with the functions of dolls as toys, education aids, religious symbols and decorations, and the materials used in their construction down the ages such as bisque, composition, celluloid and plastic. From there you are drawn on through galleries focusing on national costumes, different eras and several other themes. You will emerge amazed at human ingenuity and what you learned.

? The same skills that restored the museum s treasures are available to the general public, albeit at a fee a little more than the doll likely cost originally. By all means bring your favorite childhood companion or teddy bear with you for a free estimate, while you wander through the halls entranced. Doll Doctor V ronique Derez is there every Thursday from 13h00 to 16h00, although you don t need to meet her personally.

? Did you see something that you especially liked? Perhaps you wish you brought a favorite doll on holiday with you, or left it behind in your luxury apartment in Paris? No worries. The specialized museum shop has all manner of things for sale, including bodies, body parts, natural and acrylic wigs, and a huge range of entrancing eyes in different shades. You can choose from a choice of clothing to complete your project, or order a complete doll to be posted on to you.

Things You Didn t Know

? Dolls have been around for as long as history. They are found in Egyptian tombs and Greek and Roman children s graves. In those days they were simple wood or clay affairs. In the 19th century new materials and manufacturing techniques turned a hobby into an industry, although dolls continued to be almost always adult figures.

? When French bebe dolls burst onto the scene in the early 1880 s they changed the doll landscape forever. Suddenly dolls were available that depicted charming little girls, made exquisitely and with great artistry too. And that is the spirit that Father Guido and Son Sammy Odin preserve, complete in period top hats and tails.

Can You Afford to Miss It?

You will be glad you visited the doll museum – if you were not seduced away by better-known attractions. Maybe you should combine it with a trip to Centre Pompidou Museum? See the modern art first and then the dolls. That way, you ll have enough time left over for the delightful Mus e de la Poup e and can return happily to your luxury Paris hotel.

About the Author: When in Paris, all of our guests are personally welcomed by a fluent English speaking property manager who cares about your stay as much as we do. Rik Gitlin, our secret weapon, without doubt will become your best friend in Paris.

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