Visiting a Ping Pong Factory – August 2009

This is my first time visiting a Ping Pong Ball Factory and it is a amazing journey. As we know, ping pong ball is made of celluloid and celluloid was invented around 1850s, is one of the main material for toy making in pre war period. Although we have more than 100 types of China made celluloid toys in our museum collection, but never have any chance to visit celluloid factory. So for this time, I am just like a kid to walk around…

Celluloid sheets.

As I have an idea to reproduce vintage celluloid mickey mouse toys again, so I find a chance to speak to the owner of the factory this morning about my thoughts. But he said it’s quite difficult and almost not possible to produce a celluloid toy today. First of all, is because of the mouldings, secondly is because of the technique, thirdly…. is….quantity. He is asking me what is the quantity I am going to order….10,000 or 20,000 pieces…WOW!! 😦

Tin Toy Club / 3-6 July 2009

After one year’s preparation, the first TIN TOY CLUB (www.tintoyclub.com) was set up in Shanghai in July. In order to let more young generation knowing our club, we co-operated with the organiser of CHINA FANTASY 2009 ( A Comic and Game Convention ) to set up a small booth there from 3-6 July this year.

The China Fantasy 2009 attracted over 20,000 visitors every day.

Out staff are trying very hard to promote our products.

New products are on their way…

TIN TOY CLUB is a tin toy collectors’ club which orgainised by MARXU INTERNATIONAL LTD. It’s not only promoting new tin toy products, but also pushing the art of tin toy to more young generations in China.

After a friendly recommendation by our staff, this guy is buying 6 pieces of tin toys.

Hello, girl, u know what’s inside? 🙂

Hi, would you like to join as a tin toy club member? We now have promotion…

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CCTV Interview on History of China Made Toys / 10 June 2009

CCTV will be launching a new programme about Transport in the past, Lifestyle in the past, Childhood in the past…etc to celebrate the 1st Oct, The China National Day this year. And I am one the interviewees who talked about the past and the history of Chinese toys. The morning interview took about 4 hours, after interviewing me in my Shanghai office, I brought them to my tin toy factory and continuing the interview until 5pm.

Western Toys in Shanghai in 1930s

Have bought few nice pictures recently. Three pictures show Chinese kids carried Teddy Bear and another large picture ( about A2 size ) shows a lady carried an American Doll. These three pictures help me to understand what kind of western toys exported to Shanghai during 1930s to 40s.

Little Children Museum

GOOD NEWS! There’s a new local children museum was set up last year and it named CHILDREN LITTLE MUSEUM. I was there last week and found that it’s very interesting. Inside the museum, you are not only seeing old toys which played by kids during 50s to 60s last century, but also seeing a little book shop, little primary school, barber shop..etc. Although the shop, bookshop is just a prop, but they look really real and these are all handmade by the owner, Mr. Alan Tan. Children Little Museum is somewhere near Arab street. visitors are allowed to take photos, buying old school goodies and explore what parents play during kampong days.

For further inquiry, please Contact 81960138 Alan or 96580290 Patrick

Europe Trip (23 Jan – 14 Feb) / Part 14 / Antique Toy (B)

Rudger is one of the top and famous toy collectors in Germany. Not only that, he is also a famous author who wrote many books about anitque German toys. Because of Peter, my partner and I have an opportunity to visit his studio or should say a small toy museum. When you stepped in his gallery, there are plenty of toys which attract my eyeballs. Although I only collect China made toys, but still feel excited when I see so many antique toys.

Before we left, Rudger know that I like Chinese toys, so he invited me to his warehouse and see whether I can find any interesting toy there…

Europe Trip (23 Jan – 14 Feb) / Part 13 / Nurnberg Toy Museum

Visiting toy museum is always an exciting journey to me. I have visited several toy museums in Japan and UK many times, but this is my first time to visit a toy museum at Nurnberg. It is a very very beautiful museum which I ever seen and I hope my museum, Museum of Shanghai toys have a chance to develop it until like this in one day. It’s really amazing….! 🙂

A very beautiful museum shop.

Europe Trip (23 Jan – 14 Feb) / Part 11 / Antique Toy (B)

Peter is free this evening, so he brought us to see one of the biggest antique toy shop in Nurnberg. But unfortunately I can’t find any old chinese toys there… 😦 but still interesting to see so many German made toys.

Europe Trip (23 Jan – 14 Feb) / Part 7 / Toy Gallery (Galeria Navarro)

Our trip for today is visiting a toy gallery at Valencia. After few hours trip by train, my partner and I have arrived the train station, the founder drove a Jaguar to pick us up (never expected he treat us in this way… wow!)

As we need to rush back to Catalunya by tonight, so we only have 2 hours to chat with the founder. The founder named Jeffery, is an antique toy dealer, had set up a famous antique toy company called MINT IN BOX is 1980s in last century. But because of some unexpected things happened, he immigrated to Spain few years back and set up this beautiful toy gallery.

During our chat, Jeffery is showing me few antique tin toys which was made in Spain and I can say Spain made toys are really nice and attractive…

Europe Trip (23 Jan – 14 Feb) / Part 6 / Catalunya Toy Museum

I am going to visit few toy museums and some special museums within this Europe trip and hope to bring some new concepts back to Singapore like lighting, displaying…etc. Today, I am at the Catalunya Toy Museum, it is one of the best toy museums in Europe… I LOVE IT