Visit trail

This introduction area presents the universal character of toys. Human beings have always and everywhere played, often with very similar types of play. Nevertheless, each period, place and culture has marked toy production with its own unique mark. The toys selected here are divided into 5 categories: spinning wheels, knucklebones, yo-yos, pull toys and dolls. This section contains rare toys (ancient glass knucklebones, ancient chariots, a yo-yo from the time of King Louis XVI, an Egyptian doll from the 16th century BC, Turkish, Belgian and Japanese spinning wheels), together with much more common toys, sometimes manufactured in the Jura and regarded as traditional.

This section brings together toys used inside the home. What games does a child play inside this protective cocoon? Behind brick, wood or straw walls, toddlers, children and then teenagers, both girls and boys, construct a miniature world, an almost identical copy or reflection of their dreams. Early learning toys stimulate babies as they handle, pile up and organize them. Using language, children then express their desire to grow up by imitating adults. Although attitudes have changed, children and their toys are still categorized according to gender: boy's toys are an invitation to explore the world and handle tools, whereas girl's toys are to look after or make themselves look nice. Teenagers assert their personality and carry out technical manipulations, scientific experiments, board and construction games.  Toys are both a source of amusement and educational tools.

This section brings together play objects used outdoors. Gardens, open spaces in which the body can express itself freely, cafés, playgrounds, public spaces governed by established rules, fairgrounds - a moving space imbued with our imagination - are all places that have encouraged the development of specific play activities. These sections are subdivided into: games of skill and movement, open-air games, fairground games and target games, ride-on toys, role playing - celebrations and music, playground games, bar games.

This chronological trail retraces the local history of toys and their technical and material developments, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Machines, tools, toys produced in the Jura, catalogues, and audiovisual documents bear witness to this rich heritage. It also covers the challenges faced by manufacturers in the Jura Arch to cope with competition, especially the role of design and marketing.

As gateways into the world of imagination or art, toys and games express a language specific to children. The toys exhibited here send everyone back to the imagination used by children in play situations: the imagination used to create something to play with, the play equipment enabling them to invent stories, perform a show, circus, magic tricks or cinema, etc.

Today's children have sophisticated technology enabling them to go a step further by fully entering virtual worlds. This area evokes video games and invites visitors to play them. An audiovisual room presenting short children's films about toys rounds off this trail through the permanent exhibition.

Your children will be spoilt! There is a very special guide to welcome children at the Toy Museum. He is called Nours and takes them on a play-filled trail. There are also many activities for children and families to discover: playbook, multimedia audio-guide (in 4 languages), short films, events, shows, many play areas.