In memory of a gentle man who shared his joy of toys with the world.
Posting in honour of Josep Maria Joan Rosa the founder of the Figueres Toy Museum, who died on July 4. Feral Cheryl has been on exhibition at the museum for more than 25 years.
The amazing Figueres toy museum
From a blog post from 2018 when Feral Cheryl visited Spain
So the day finally arrived where I was off to see my sister who has been in residence at the Museu de Joguets de Catalunya in Figueres for the last 20 years. Took the very fast train from Barcelona in the morning- less than one hour going at about 190 km. This is me looking a bit nervous about our reunion after so many years.
Figueres is a very beautiful small town north of Barcelona, and very proudly Catalan. I am so happy to have a sister in Catalunya because the Catalan identity is about serving your community and being creative.
This quote from the Catalan league of 1888 explains:
“We know not how to, we do not wish to, we cannot cease to be Catalans. Without our character and our language which is its expression, without the fervent love of our past and our enthusiasm for the modern progress of the earth, we would be more of the many lifeless and indifferent peoples”.
The museum is down a laneway.
I was travelling with my Mum and her friend Kath and we were met by the director of the museum Josep Maria Joan Rosa and the curator Eva Pascual. We were so excited to meet each other. Josep heard about me twenty years ago and recognised my unique qualities would be perfect for his museum. Eva was our translator and together we had a guided tour of the wonderful museum. I was so keen to see my sister, but I had to be patient as Mum and Eva chatted. Then finally we came around a corner and there she was!
Of course, with sisters you can just pick up where you left off. She was clearly excited to see me and it was a complete surprise to her. They hadn’t told her I was coming.
She is with an historic Barbie doll and a vintage Shirley Temple.
And this is the lovely Josep Maria Joan Rosa and Eva Pascual with my Mum. It was a very happy reunion
The rest of the museum was amazing. They have lots of toys even more famous and unusual than me including Salvador Dali’s teddy bear (Salvador Dali is from Figueres and there is a big art museum with his work there).
The teddy, Don Osito Marquino was named by the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. Josep Maria is a keen collector of the more unusual type of doll.
We spent a couple of hours at the museum to soak it all in.
I was a bit emotional when i saw that there was a Feral Cheryl card in the gallery shop.
The card is in Catalan, so I have taken one home as a souvenir to practice my Catalan for when I come back. Josep Maria says I shouldn’t leave it another 20 years.
Josep was very impressed of the photo of me flying a catalan flag in Barcelona (in one of my previous posts).
Josep Maria and Eva were proudly wearing Catalan ribbon badges.
It was so amazing to see my sister again, and see that she is so at home in Figueres. She has had a pretty protected life though, and that explains why she is better preserved than me. She looks brand new while I show signs of more life experience. And she mixes with famous people and has lots of people come and admire her. But with sisters you can remind them to keep their feet on the ground.
If you go to Barcelona, it is really worth the trip to Figueres to the toy museum. Go and say hello to Feral Cheryl.
Vale Josep Maria - and thanks for the joy you have brought to so many.