International Dolls Museum

International Dolls Museum is a private museum which was launched in Tehran on Mehr Sep2014. on the International Day of Peace, with the efforts of Masoud Naseri Daryaii, Ali Golshan and with the support of Faride Naseri Daryaii. The collection houses 700 dolls related to 54 countries from around the world, especially Europe, Latin America and Asia. After being temporarily closed, the museum was moved to the current location in South Naft St., Mir Damad St., Tehran, occupying an 80-year-old house, and continued its activity seriously in the new place. This displacement was sponsored by “the group of International Doll Museums’ supporters”, “cultural forum of the close friends” and “Global Environment Facility GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP)” in 2016.  

Today the museum houses more than 2000 items of dolls from 80 countries and cultures; Afghan dolls, Russian Matryoshka dolls, Worry dolls of Guatemala, Chinese dolls, Akua’ba dolls of Ghana, Polish Laconic dolls, Arabian dolls, Japanese Daruma dolls, Ottoman dolls such as Hurrem Sultan, dolls of Indian gods and goddess like Shiva and Parvati, Tajik faceless dolls, friendly Swedish witch dolls, Austrian dolls, Armenian dolls, water seller dolls, corn dolls which are among the main dolls of South America, Khorasan dolls made of apple, Gilan dolls made of rice stem, Mobarak and Tabarak dolls, Mazandaran rain prayer dolls are just a small part of the collection which has been gathered from different regions of Iran and world by the children psychologist, Masoud Naseri Daryaii, in partnership with Ali Golshani, during 25 years. Exhibited based on the continent, the dolls of this museum show the customs, rituals, clothing, music, handicrafts, life, stories, legends and other Iranian and world cultural elements to the visitor. 

The museum wined the prize of top curators in 2015 from the Cultural Heritage Organization. It received the prize of top museum from ICOM in terms of education, children, innovation, preservation, conservation and collecting from 2015 to 2017. the museum received more than 14000 visit in two years only from the schools, preschools and kindergartens. It shows that the museum activities and strategies have been mostly successful.