In the heart of the historic centre you will find the Toy Museum which exhibits a toy collection belonging to the Arbués Moreira Foundation The museum remains under the foundation's guardianship and aims to tell "The Story of Man through Toys". Highlighting the evolution of toys around the world throughout the 20^th century and boasting a significant collection of Portuguese objects, this museum displays approximately forty thousand toys of different types and from various sources, which were collected by João Arbués Moreira during his lifetime.

History of the Museum

He started the collection at the age of 14 with toys that were given to him in addition to toys that belonged to his parents and grandparents.

As he got older, the opportunities to choose and buy his own toys increased as did his desire to learn more about the pieces he came across, how they were made, their origin and their history.

This marked the start of his research and acquisition of antique toys and his interest in the history of mankind which is so well documented through the toys. As time went by the collection grew and eventually there were over 40,000 different toys.

This heritage had to be protected and put on display so that the public could witness the greatest collection of its kind in the entire country.

In 1987 the Arbués Moreira Foundation was established to oversee the entire collection and two years later an agreement was reached with Sintra Town Hall for the provision of a space which enabled the creation of the Sintra Toy Museum.

The collection continued to grow and soon the space became too small for all the pieces that had subsequently been acquired and donated. It became imperative to create a new exhibition space which would house the whole collection and enrich the ties between the visiting public and the museum.

This new space, the former headquarters of the Sintra Fire Department, includes appropriate video viewing facilities, a recreational multimedia area, a temporary exhibition room and a restoration workshop. 

Contact: Museu do Brinquedo
Rua Visconde de Monserrate,n.º 28 2710-591 Sintra, Portugal
Tel: + 351 21 242 171
Fax: + 351 21 923 00 59
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Web Site:  www.museu-do-brinquedo.pt