Pienten Helsinki
My Museum Buddy and I: Exhibition Tip for Päivälehden Museum's New Exhibition
The Pekka Töpöhäntä exhibition ended on 15.9.2019.
It's very easy to walk past Päivälehden Museum without noticing what a wonderful museum is behind its windows! The spring 2019 new exhibition at this museum, maintained by the Helsinki Newspaper Foundation, takes visitors to Uppsala and Pekka Töpöhäntä's adventures.
The spring 2019 new exhibition at Päivälehden Museum takes children and the young at heart on an adventure into Pekka Töpöhäntä's world. The interactive exhibition celebrates Gösta Knutsson's famous cat character turning 80 years old and the cat's many friends. The exhibition is on display at Päivälehden Museum from 15.3 to 15.9.2019 and admission to the museum is always free.
The exhibition starts right behind the museum's windows: upon arrival, you should peek at Töpöhäntä's world and marvel at the miniature models of Uppsala buildings. Inside the museum, a cat-like adventure begins: attach a tail and ears, and off you go to sniff giant sprats!
Dare you peek into Monni's coal cellar, read stories from a high chair, hiss like a cat, and chase a giant ball of yarn? You can lounge on top of giant sprats and listen to Pekka Töpöhäntä's adventures from a large radio. For children, the exhibition unfolds in a new way: you can crawl into Monni's cellar and marvel at a giant tail, giant balls of yarn invite play, and on soft cushions among sprats and fish bones it's fun to roll around.
The Pekka Töpöhäntä exhibition can be experienced in many ways: exploring as a cat, spinning tasks from a wheel of fortune, reading stories, and getting excited about Monni's coal cellar. For this reason, I dare recommend the exhibition for all young visitors: my two-year-old museum buddy enjoyed being a cat and rolling the ball of yarn, my five-year-old got excited when Monni hissed again and climbed on a high chair and spun in the somersault corridor. However, Monni's coal cellar was discussed all the way home—apparently it was a little scary. In the exhibition, we also learned that cats can do somersaults, they have excellent balance, and they love to climb in high places.
On soft cushions, even younger museum visitors will surely enjoy marveling at shiny sprats, as long as you don't happen to visit at the same time as a larger group of children. On the windowsill, you can relax and read Pekka Töpöhäntä books.
The experiential exhibition is not very large, but there's just the right amount to do for young visitors. The museum's opening hours and free admission are good reasons to pop by: there aren't many places like this. Adults should also throw themselves into the game: crawl into Monni's coal cellar if you dare and sit under the table tasting sprats!
If you're thinking about when to visit and weekdays are probably quite peaceful unless a larger group of children arrives at the same time. As for weekends, it's worth waiting a few weeks, as the museum isn't very large and interest in the exhibition will surely be great. We visited the museum in the early hours of the exhibition in the middle of a weekday, and at that time there was plenty of room to play.
Päivälehden Museum is located just a few blocks away from Esplanade Park, so it's worth stopping by even on a city trip or on a rainy day. The museum also has the most important thing: a functioning children's changing room connected to the accessible restroom. In addition to Pekka Töpöhäntä, you should also familiarize yourself with the permanent exhibition at Päivälehden Museum—more about it in an earlier Pienten Helsingin My Museum Buddy and I article. The print cellar also displays various machines and equipment that amuse children's eyes.
Read more about the spring's new exhibition on Päivälehden Museum's website. The Pekka Töpöhäntä exhibition is bilingual.
The Pekka Töpöhäntä exhibition ended on 15.9.2019.
Päivälehden Museum
The new exhibition opening for children will be celebrated on 17.3.2019 from 11-15
The Pekka Töpöhäntä exhibition is on display at the museum from 15.3 to 15.9.2019
Ludviginkatu 2–4, Helsinki
Open Monday to Sunday 11-17
Always free admission.
