Bangkok Doll Museum & Factory, Bangkok

Bangkok Doll Museum and Factory houses an interesting collection of Thai and foreign dolls. It features both modern and antique items. Khunying Tongkorn Chandevimol founded the workshop in 1956. She completed a doll-making course when she was in Japan and began researching and making dolls on the basis of Thai mythology and historical periods. Her dolls, often dressed in traditional Thai style, have won several international awards. Today her personal collection consists of 400 dolls from around the world including some important pieces from her own workshop.

The museum is small and the factory where the dolls are made is even smaller. Dolls are all handmade and act as miniature models for the history of Thai costume and culture. Historical fashions from neighboring nations are also represented. There is a small selection of cuddly dolls but mostly are ornamental ones. All dolls presented here are made by a local factory. The museum entertains the guests and, at the same time, it enhances the sale of the factory. Visiting the doll museum is fun for people of all ages.

The art of making dolls are shown here and you can watch the figures being crafted by hand giving an idea of how the old practice of making dolls has been passed down over the decades. The dolls are made for children and adults of various age groups. Kids, older children, teen and sometime even adults are attracted by the dolls. A retail shop also exists within the vicinity of the museum. Visitors can buy their favorite dolls from there at very reasonable rates.

The Bangkok Dolls are famous throughout Thailand and have won local and international awards. These dolls could be the perfect souvenir for you to carry home. Even if you are not with your kids, it would be hard to resist buying one or two dolls for your children or may be for yourself!