I have always had a soft spot for Mexico City. As a child I
lived there, in a quiet garden district well away from the
horn-beeping urban frenzy of central arteries like
Insurgentes and Paseo De La Reforma. The toys in my
bedroom were predominantly English and American, but the
ones I loved most were simple bright-colored play things
that could be bought from any of the city’s peasant vendors
or open-air shops that catered to tourists. In particular, I
remember having a large collection of painted wooden
marionettes and on special occasions, being allowed to pick
out a new one from my favorite street vendor. Although far
from being the most valuable toys in my room, they were
definitely the ones I would have grabbed in a fire, as they
made a connection with me in the same way certain
paintings do today.
I unashamedly digress with this flashback to my own
childhood for good reason. These are memories that came
flooding back to me the day I got a phone call from Dale
Kelley saying there was a man in Mexico city with a fabulous
toy collection, for a wonderful story. His name is Roberto
Shimizu, and his diecast collection alone apparently totaled
some 25,000-35,000 pieces. Judging from the pictures he
had sent to our Antique Toy World offices though, he
owned every conceivable type of toy, not just diecast.
lived there, in a quiet garden district well away from the
horn-beeping urban frenzy of central arteries like
Insurgentes and Paseo De La Reforma. The toys in my
bedroom were predominantly English and American, but the
ones I loved most were simple bright-colored play things
that could be bought from any of the city’s peasant vendors
or open-air shops that catered to tourists. In particular, I
remember having a large collection of painted wooden
marionettes and on special occasions, being allowed to pick
out a new one from my favorite street vendor. Although far
from being the most valuable toys in my room, they were
definitely the ones I would have grabbed in a fire, as they
made a connection with me in the same way certain
paintings do today.
I unashamedly digress with this flashback to my own
childhood for good reason. These are memories that came
flooding back to me the day I got a phone call from Dale
Kelley saying there was a man in Mexico city with a fabulous
toy collection, for a wonderful story. His name is Roberto
Shimizu, and his diecast collection alone apparently totaled
some 25,000-35,000 pieces. Judging from the pictures he
had sent to our Antique Toy World offices though, he
owned every conceivable type of toy, not just diecast.
| Twenty Questions with Roberto Shimizu: From Robots to Racecars, He’s Mexico’s #1 Toy Collector ______________________ By Catherine Sauders-Watson |
| Copyright 2006-2007 of Toy Museum Mexico. All rights reserved. |