Astonishing collection of 2000 19th and 20th century toys regularly added to Films and exhibition on the development of manufacturing techniques (wood and plastic) and also the social and cultural aspect of toys. Projection room. Children's playroom.

The Toy Museum opened in June 1989, the result of an initiative by toy manufacturers and craftsmen in the Jura and the Municipality of Moirans-en-Montagne. Originally run by an association, the Museum has been Municipal since 1997. It comes under the authority of the French Museums Executive. The choice of the small town of Moirans for the site of a toy museum is explained by the long local tradition of wood-turning, with the manufacture of household objects and toys. Between 1950 and 1960, most of the toy-making companies in the Jura region changed over to manufacturing plastic toys. This was a successful conversion, as one French toy in two is manufactured in the crescent of the Jura region. A documentation service: service supplying research services from among over 500 works and studies and nearly 3,000 catalogues and reviews.

THE PERMANENT EXHIBITION : toys, a cultural dimension. The main part of the permanent exhibition presents an original collection of 2,000 toys from the 19th and 20th centuries (over two floors). Each showcase points out the social roles acquired by playing children (automobile driver, nurse, musician, builder, scientist), as well as the economic issues at stake today. In addition, we can hear Father Christmas recounting his own story for old and young alike. The way that the toys are displayed reflects the playfulness of childhood: a checkerboard shaped staircase, pyramid shaped windows, a giant abacus. The ambitious aim of this museum of ethnology is to show how toys reflect the society that produces and uses them.

THE TECHNICAL WING of the permanent exhibition : toys, a technical dimension. This technical part of the permanent exhibition recounts the history of techniques of toy manufacturing - from the earliest origins to the latest innovations. It provides an insight into the lives of the peasant-woodturners, who refined their technical skills from generation to generation and who learned to adapt to the market by showing great ingenuity in making the transition from wood to plastic. Visitors can watch video films of craftsmen in their workplace, explaining the difficulties of their jobs, the precision required in their work and their enthusiasm for toys.

THE CINE-THEATRE: an audio-visual room where you can discover: 
- A puppet show: " La Forêt aux Mille Lutins " (The forest of the thousand leprechauns) : In the plush and intimate setting of a theatre, three blows ring out and the curtain is raised. We enter a magical and enchanting realm peopled by impish characters and the narrator, Quentin. 
- A film relating to the current temporary exhibition.

Opening times

January to June and September to December :
open daily 10am-12.30am and 2pm-6pm
(except Saturday mornings and Sunday mornings)

July and August : open daily 10am-6.30pm.

For groups, special arrangements all the year round, including guided tours of the museum, local toy factories and beauty spots.

Individual entrance fee

Adults : 5 €
Unemployed, students: 4 €
Children 6 to 15 :2,5 €
Children 3 to 5 : 2 €

Group entrance fee 10 visitors and over.

Adults : 4 €
Children 3 to 15 : 2 €