The Centro Cultural Conde Duque has decided to extend the exhibition From Toy to Heaven until April 20th due to its great public success. Since its opening on December 18th, nearly 40,000 people have visited Exhibition Hall 1 to discover contemporary history through games and toys, with a selection of ancient pieces from the Quiroga-Monte private collection. The exhibition has been visited by over 300 groups — day centers, senior groups, cultural collectives, etc. — making it one of the most visited in the history of this municipal space.
Requests from various groups asking for the continuation of the exhibition, the testimonials collected in the guestbooks, and the willingness of the collection owners and exhibition curators have been decisive in the decision to extend the exhibition, so that visitors coming to Madrid for Easter can also enjoy it.
125 years of history through toys
Organized by the General Directorate of Libraries, Archives, and Museums of the City Council, From Toy to Heaven is presented as the most comprehensive exhibition to date on Spanish toys, composed of a careful selection of 500 original pieces from the Quiroga-Monte Collection. It covers 125 years of the trajectory of the Spanish toy industry (1860-1985), showing the social changes in fashions and the tastes of the child population.
The exhibition is divided into seven thematic sections ranging from classic trains and dolls to board games and post-war wooden toys. It pays tribute to local manufacturers in Madrid and toys inspired by the capital, including reproductions of emblematic vehicles such as the Seat 600, the MZA locomotive from RENFE, and the traditional double-decker buses, always providing context for each piece through photographs and historical references.
Another highlighted section of the exhibition is dedicated to dioramas. These constructions, intended for the youngest, allowed them to discover the real world and, especially, social settings through entertainment and fun. For example, the exhibition includes different carousels, horse stables, carriages, or school classrooms. It also takes a journey through the evolution of children’s fashion through iconic dolls like Mariquita Pérez, Cayetana, and Gisela, reflecting the most representative styles of the 20th century. Additionally, the exhibition showcases figures of various professions and iconic characters, from explorers and mechanics to circus artists like the famous clown Ramper.
To conclude the tour, a corner dedicated to the most popular board games in Spain has been recreated, where visitors can rediscover classics made in Spain such as the traditional lottery, the Parisian roulette, the Juegos Reunidos Geyper, the Modern Architecture Borrás, or the timeless Meccano.
Access to the exhibition is free and can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:30 to 21:00, and on Sundays and holidays from 10:30 to 14:00. /
