McCord Museum 2015: Mister Rabbit’s Circus

Mister Rabbit’s Circus 

November 1, 2015 - April 17, 2016

The exhibition is the latest edition of the McCord Museum's annual toys exhibition for children aged 3 to 9. The Museum has partnered for this event with the publisher Les 400 coups – which is celebrating its 20th anniversary – and the successful children’s book series Monsieur Lapin, written by Pascal Hérault and illustrated by Geneviève Després.

Parents and children will explore the circus and discover toys from the Museum’s collection in a setting entertaining for the whole family. In addition, visitors will have a chance to take part in an investigation with a long-eared celebrity Mister Rabbit during activities for the Holiday Season and also the Spring Break.

Visitors will have a chance to see more than 200 artefacts from the McCord Museum’s toy and decorative arts collection, several of them on display in public for the first time. Among them are fortune-telling deck (1919), animals and characters from the Humpty Dumpty circus (around 1920), a mechanical toy inspired by the roller coaster in Coney Island, New York (1945-1949) and the clown puppet Clarabell (around 1950). Further information about the toys is provided with each display.

The circus tent also includes photographs from the Notman Photographic Archives that recall moments in the history of the circus in Montreal. A reading area, a space dedicated to costumes and games, was also added to the route. 

Admission is always free for children 12 and under. 

For more information, visit the McCord Museum website.

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