IMAGINAIRE: Of Small Memories and Greater Dreams
From 11 October 2025, Alliance Française de Singapour and the MINT Museum of Toys welcomed visitors into IMAGINAIRE: Of Small Memories and Greater Dreams, a poetic, multi-sensory tribute to the toys that shaped French childhood across the 20th century.
Part of the French Excellence Programme, IMAGINAIRE invited audiences to step into a world where toys are more than playthings, they are storytellers of identity, emotion, creativity, and the dreams that accompany us through life.
Over three months, the exhibition transformed our gallery into a space of memory, imagination, and cultural dialogue, celebrating not only the aesthetics of toys but also their role in shaping generations.
Rediscovering Childhood Through Toys
IMAGINAIRE offered a chronological journey through a century of childhood, weaving together history, design, marketing, and social imagination.
From the delicate mechanical marvels of the early 1900s to the vibrant mass-produced heroes of the post-war boom, the exhibition revealed how toys mirror our evolving fantasies, fears, values, and aspirations.
Visitors explored three major themes that define the universe of play:
1. Escape From Reality
Toys that open portals to enchanting worlds: travelling circuses, faraway kingdoms, futuristic galaxies. Objects that let children dream beyond the boundaries of their time.
2. Connection and Companionship
Plush animals, dolls, board games, artefacts that offer comfort, nurture social bonds, and reflect the emotional landscape of childhood.
3. Becoming Your Own Hero
The toys that empower: swords, capes, miniature cars, astronaut helmets. Tools through which children imagine themselves as adventurers, creators, explorers, and champions of their own story.
IMAGINAIRE was not merely nostalgic, it positioned toys as cultural markers, revealing how childhood mirrors societal change, technological development, and collective imagination.
Far beyond the gallery walls, IMAGINAIRE unfolded as a playful, multi-disciplinary experience engaging families, children, educators, and collectors.
✨ Opening Night
Held alongside the Animation Nation Festival 2025, the opening welcomed partners, artists, press, and the community for an immersive first look at the exhibition. Guests discovered the emotional and symbolic power of toys, from intricate early-century mechanisms to brightly coloured post-war icons.
Workshops & Events: Creativity in Motion
🎨 Loto à la Française
Inspired by the iconic French childhood game, this workshop at the Mint Museum of Toys guided families in designing their own personalised Loto set, blending play, graphic design, and cultural storytelling.
🧁 Cakes & Colors | Kids Art Workshop and Goûter
A festive, hands-on experience where children created their own Christmas toy using collage, painting, mixed textures, and decorative elements, followed by a cosy goûter filled with holiday treats. A moment suspended in time, where imagination met the magic of the season.
Once Upon a Toy: A Community Campaign
Running from 3 October, the Once Upon a Toy campaign invited the public to share the story behind their favourite childhood toy.
From tender memories to humorous anecdotes, from dreams that faded to dreams that came true, the campaign became a touching mosaic of human experience. Selected stories were showcased on AFSG’s social media, and some participants received special prizes, including:
- Free access to screenings (non-FFF) or workshops
- So France café vouchers
- Exclusive visibility of their story
The campaign became a powerful reminder that toys are vessels of identity, objects that shape who we become.
A Resonant Success
IMAGINAIRE was met with heartfelt enthusiasm from the public:
- 1,223 adults and 1,117 children visited the exhibition, for a total of 2,340 visitors.
Families, collectors, educators, and the simply curious came together to rediscover the beauty, symbolism, and emotional depth of childhood play.
Moreover, throughout the exhibition period, more than 663 visitors: 216 adults and 447 children, joined our guided tours in English and French.
From school groups to families and toy enthusiasts, these tours offered a closer exploration of the historical and emotional significance of each object on display.
Merci & See You Soon
Alliance Française de Singapour warmly thanks:
- The MINT Museum of Toys: our key partner in curating this extraordinary exploration of childhood
- Maison Perrier Singapore and Vittel: sponsors of the exhibition and of our opening night.
- All participants of our workshops and campaigns
- And the thousands of visitors who brought the exhibition to life with their curiosity and imagination
IMAGINAIRE affirmed the timeless power of play to connect generations, spark creativity, and reflect the world we live in.
And the journey is not over: IMAGINAIRE: Of Small Memories and Greater Dreams remains open until 13 January, offering visitors a final opportunity to explore this nostalgic and thought-provoking universe.
Our Once Upon a Toy community campaign also continues until 13 January, inviting everyone to share the story behind their favourite childhood toy.
We look forward to welcoming you in the gallery for the last weeks of this special exhibition.
-023 (1).jpg?access_token=a95319ef-f905-46f1-82ca-166833e3ba6b)
-098 (1).jpg?access_token=260bb5af-ebc4-4e9f-94d7-36f1843dd2ac)