Mexico City Museum Houses 1 Million Toys for $1 Entry

A former apartment building in Mexico City's Doctores neighborhood has been transformed into a wonderland housing the world's largest publicly viewable toy collection, and it costs less than a cup of coffee to visit.

Roberto "Beto" Shimizu opened the Museo del Juguete Antiguo México (MUJAM) in 2008, turning his lifelong passion into a four-story maze of nostalgia. The museum displays around 45,000 toys daily from a total collection exceeding one million pieces.

Shimizu's story began on the second floor of this very building, where his Japanese immigrant parents ran a stationery shop. At age 10, he started collecting stamps, newspapers, and rare toys while helping in the family store during holiday celebrations.

The building itself holds special significance for Mexico City's Japanese community. Shimizu's grandfather built it as a starting point for Japanese migrants arriving in the mid-1900s with just a suitcase, later importing Japanese toys to sell as the family business.

Today, Shimizu runs the museum with his son Roberto, the creative director. Visitors wander through rooms dedicated to specific themes: an entire floor of Barbie dolls, a Snoopy room, Japanese anime characters, and displays of toys from "The Flintstones," "The Simpsons," and "Batman."

The museum also functions as a street art gallery, creating an unexpected combination of vintage toys and vibrant graffiti. From simple wooden toys from the 1950s to LEGO displays donated by enthusiasts, the collection spans generations and continents.

The Ripple Effect

MUJAM preserves more than childhood memories. The museum keeps Mexican toy culture and craftsmanship alive while honoring the Japanese immigrant experience in Mexico City.

Other collectors have contributed to the growing archive, including Soyla, who donated many Barbies, and LEGO enthusiasts who shared their collections. The museum hosts rotating exhibitions throughout the year, like this summer's display of 500 soccer-related toys celebrating the World Cup.

For 50 pesos (roughly $1 USD), visitors get access to what museum staff claim is the largest toy museum of its kind in the world. Only about 5% of the total collection is on display at any time, with hundreds of thousands more pieces stored off-site.

The museum operates with a "choose your adventure" layout, where multiple staircases and hallways lead to the same areas through different paths. Visitors might stumble upon large styrofoam balls wearing custom luchador masks, bootleg "Ultraman" toys, or Japanese editions of Buzz Lightyear alongside traditional wooden Mexican toys.

A family's immigrant journey has become a gift to Mexico City, one toy at a time.