Museo Valenciano del Juguete

Museo Valenciano del Juguete in Ibi is a museum dedicated to the history of toys, housed in the former Payá Hermanos factory building — one of the legendary manufacturers that made Ibi Spain's historic toy-making town.

Why is Ibi known as Spain's toy town?

The small town of Ibi, in the province of Alicante, became an industrial toy-making hub from the late 19th century onward. Factories producing tin and wooden toys sprang up here, supplying the whole country, and the Payá brand grew into one of the best-known names in the sector. As those factories gradually shut down, the town's residents and authorities decided this industrial heritage deserved permanent protection — and the museum was born from that effort.

Where do the exhibits come from?

The core of the collection is a donation made to the town by the workers of the cooperative formed after the Payá factory closed — a set of toys built up over the decades the company operated, made up mainly of pieces manufactured in Ibi and imported German toys. A smaller collection owned by Ibi's town council was later merged into it, and further donations from both companies and private individuals have kept arriving since. The museum has already marked its thirtieth anniversary, making it one of the longer-running institutions of its kind in the region.

What can visitors actually see?

The full collection runs to more than 6,000 pieces, though limited display space means only around 500 are shown at any one time. The exhibition is split into themed rooms: planes and ships, the home, the city, the natural and rural world, trains, and speed (cars and motorcycles). Among the pieces are dolls, miniature kitchen, dining room and bathroom sets, old board games, and scale models of vehicles — all relics of an era when a tin or wooden toy was the height of a child's wish list.

Who is this museum for?

The museum draws families with children, but also collectors and anyone curious about industrial history — for many visitors, a visit doubles as a nostalgic trip back to their own childhood, since a good share of the pieces date from the second half of the 20th century and will be instantly familiar to older generations of Spaniards. Being housed in an authentic factory building adds context: visitors see not just the toys, but the actual site where many of them were made.

How does it fit into a visit to Ibi?

Ibi markets itself as a "toy town," and the Museo Valenciano del Juguete is the natural starting point for exploring that heritage — beyond the museum itself, the town has traces of other former toy factories, along with monuments and murals referencing its manufacturing past. For travelers based near Alicante, the museum is a good reason to head inland, away from the usual coastal itineraries.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the museum located? It occupies the former Payá Hermanos toy factory building in Ibi, in the province of Alicante.

How many exhibits are on display? Around 500 pieces are shown in the permanent exhibition, out of a total collection of more than 6,000 items.

What themes does the exhibition cover? Toys are grouped into themed rooms: planes and ships, the home, the city, the natural/rural world, trains, and speed (vehicles).

Where did the museum's collection originally come from? It began with a donation from the workers of the cooperative formed after the Payá factory closed, later joined by Ibi's town council collection and donations from companies and individuals.