One of the funny things about travelling solo as a mother is that you may be travelling alone, but you don’t exactly stop being a mother.
You see something beautiful and think about who would have enjoyed seeing it with you. You learn something interesting and immediately want to tell your children about it. You walk into a museum and find yourself thinking, I wish they could see this.
Of course, my children are old enough to know about some of the world’s great artists, but they haven’t reached the age where they are going to happily spend hours wandering through European museums with me. So I brought a few small things home instead.
Among the usual magnets, bookmarks and other little souvenirs I picked up along the way, these two Playmobil sets became my favourites.
One is Rembrandt. The other is Van Gogh.
They are small, inexpensive, easy to pack and, unlike many souvenirs, they actually give children a starting point for learning about art and artists.
And there is another advantage that matters particularly when you’re travelling around Europe: luggage weight and space are always an issue. These little boxes don’t take up much room in a suitcase and don’t add much weight either.
The Rijksmuseum currently sells both the Rembrandt Self-Portrait and Van Gogh Self-Portrait Playmobil sets for €6.95 each, making them quite affordable museum-shop souvenirs as well.
My first stop in Amsterdam was the Rembrandt House Museum
The first museum I visited in Amsterdam was the Rembrandt House Museum, and I had deliberately planned it that way.
There was a practical reason. I wanted to get my Museumkaart (a pass that allows you to visit 5 museums for a discounted price) , and I had been advised that it was better to buy it at a relatively less busy museum rather than starting at one of Amsterdam’s biggest attractions.
But I also really wanted to visit the Rembrandt House.
And I was very glad I did.
The museum is in the actual house where Rembrandt lived and worked between 1639 and 1658. The interiors have been carefully reconstructed using a 17th-century inventory of the contents of his home, so walking through it gives you a much better sense of his life and working environment than simply looking at his paintings in a gallery.
I was particularly impressed by the audio guide.
It isn’t just a collection of dry facts about the rooms and objects. The stories and narration really help transport you to Rembrandt’s time. By the end of the visit, I felt that I had got to know much more about the artist, his home and his working life.
And then I walked into the museum shop.
There was a little Rembrandt Playmobil set.
It had Rembrandt, his easel and a miniature self-portrait, and I immediately thought of my children.
I wanted them to grow up knowing about this iconic Dutch artist. They may not be ready to appreciate a Rembrandt painting in a museum yet, but a little Rembrandt standing beside an easel is a much easier place to start.
So I bought it.
The Rembrandt House Museum still sells the set in its online shop, where it describes it simply as “The Playmobil series of the Rijksmuseum.” So although I bought mine at the Rembrandt House Museum, it is part of the wider Rijksmuseum Playmobil collection.
That was my first one.
I didn’t know then that I was going to buy another.
Then came my museum day: Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum
A few days later, I had my big museum day in Amsterdam.
I had my Museumkaart in hand and visited the Rijksmuseum first, followed later that afternoon by the Van Gogh Museum.
One useful thing to know if you’re planning to use a Museumkaart: you still need to reserve a time slot for the Rijksmuseum. The Museumkaart gets you free admission, but you still have to book a starting time.
The Rijksmuseum was one of those places where I could have spent much longer than I did. There was so much to see, from Rembrandt and Vermeer to the other Dutch masters and the museum’s many decorative and historical collections.
And, of course, there were several Van Gogh works too.
After seeing the real paintings, I went into the museum shop. Of course I bought magnets, bookmarks and other small things that caught my eye.
But there it was again.
Playmobil Van Gogh.
This one was a miniature version of Van Gogh with an easel, paintbrush, palette and his self-portrait.
I had already bought Rembrandt a few days earlier. At this point, buying Van Gogh seemed like the obvious thing to do.
So into the suitcase it went.
The Rijksmuseum describes this as the newest addition to its Playmobil collection and specifically says that it is designed to introduce children to Van Gogh’s work in a playful way, while also appealing to Playmobil and Van Gogh fans as a collector’s item.
That description pretty much covers exactly why I bought it.
The Van Gogh Museum has different Playmobil sets
Later that afternoon, I walked from the Rijksmuseum to the Van Gogh Museum.
Both museums are in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter, so putting them together on the same day worked well for me.
And yes, there was more Playmobil.
But interestingly, the Van Gogh Museum has a different collection of Van Gogh Playmobil sets from the Van Gogh Self-Portrait I had just bought at the Rijksmuseum.
Its official shop currently has Playmobil sets based on:
- Sunflowers
- Almond Blossom
- The Bedroom
- Vincent’s Letters
The museum describes these as an official Van Gogh Museum edition, and some of the individual sets are specifically marked as exclusive to the Van Gogh Museum.
The Sunflowers set, for example, includes Van Gogh, a miniature easel, palette and the famous Sunflowers painting. The Bedroom goes further and recreates elements of the room, including the bed, chairs, table and water jug from the painting.
I didn’t buy any of them.
I had already bought the Van Gogh Self-Portrait at the Rijksmuseum and, for me, that was enough.
But I found the distinction interesting because it means there are actually two different Van Gogh Playmobil collections to look out for in Amsterdam.
Rijksmuseum Playmobil vs Van Gogh Museum Playmobil
If you’re interested in these, this is worth knowing before your trip.
Rijksmuseum Playmobil
The Rijksmuseum currently sells:
- Rembrandt Self-Portrait
- Van Gogh Self-Portrait
- The Night Watch
- The Milkmaid
- Marten & Oopjen
The museum shop lists these together as part of its Playmobil range.
Van Gogh Museum Playmobil
The Van Gogh Museum has its own official collection:
- Sunflowers
- Almond Blossom
- The Bedroom
- Vincent’s Letters
The museum currently describes the four as its official Van Gogh Museum Playmobil collection.
Rembrandt House Museum
The Rembrandt House Museum sells the Rembrandt Playmobil too, but identifies it as part of the Rijksmuseum Playmobil series.
So if you happen to see one in a museum shop, don’t automatically assume it was designed exclusively for that particular museum.
Why I think these make such good gifts for children
What I like most about these sets is that they don’t require a child to already be interested in art.
You can start with the little figure.
“This is Van Gogh.”
Then show them the real painting.
“This is the painting he made.”
Or:
“This is Rembrandt. I visited the house where he lived in Amsterdam.”
That’s enough to get a conversation started.
Later, when they encounter Rembrandt or Van Gogh in a book, at school or in another museum, they already have a familiar reference point.
The Rijksmuseum itself says its Playmobil sets are intended for collecting and for introducing children to famous artworks in a playful way.
And the Van Gogh Museum makes the same connection between play and discovering Van Gogh’s art. Its current collection is recommended for children aged four and up.
Of course, these aren’t going to replace actually seeing the paintings.
But for a child who isn’t yet ready to spend an afternoon looking at Dutch masters, a tiny artist on an easel can be a pretty good introduction.
They’re also brilliant travel souvenirs
There is another reason I liked these, especially as someone travelling solo and moving around Europe with a suitcase.
They are tiny.
When you’re travelling for several weeks, every souvenir has to pass the luggage test.
A beautiful ceramic piece? Maybe not.
A large art book? Think twice.
Something fragile? Probably not.
Another magnet? There’s always room for one more.
But these Playmobil sets come in small boxes and weigh very little. The Rijksmuseum lists the individual sets at around €6.95, with the larger artwork-based ones still under €10 in its current shop selection.
That makes them particularly attractive to budget travellers too.
You’re getting something connected to the place you visited without spending a lot of money or sacrificing valuable suitcase space.
And unlike a generic souvenir, you can explain exactly why you bought it.
And they aren’t really just for children
This part is not exactly new to me. I look for unique toys, dolls from all over the world, classic wooden toys etc. that double as collectibles. I buy these for my children, but they don’t end up being packed away with the children’s things. The same goes for these Artist Playmobile figure sets.
They are displayed on my shelves. And people notice them.
Guests see the little Rembrandt or Van Gogh standing beside the miniature easel and inevitably stop to take a closer look.
I think that’s because Playmobil has managed to make these sets work on two levels.
For children, they’re toys. My daughter loved putting them together (they are very easy to put together, not complex like Lego sets). But for someone interested in art, travel or collecting, they’re miniature representations of artists and artworks.
The Van Gogh Museum actually describes its complete collection as being intended for both young explorers and adult collectors, which seems fair.
I don’t think I would have gone looking for “art collectibles” when I entered the museum shops. I was simply looking for a few things to bring home. But these have ended up being some of the things I enjoy most.
Unique Amsterdam Souvenirs for Kids: Rijksmuseum Rembrandt & Van Gogh Playmobil Sets
A souvenir that can grow with your child
I also like the fact that these don’t have to be a one-time learning experience.
You can start with the toy.
Then show the child the painting.
Later, read a little about the artist.
Then perhaps visit a museum together when they’re older.
The Playmobil becomes a little physical reminder of that first introduction.
And if you happen to collect a few over the years, you could end up with a rather charming miniature art collection.
The Rijksmuseum already has several major Dutch artworks represented in its Playmobil range – including The Night Watch and The Milkmaid – so there’s plenty of scope beyond the two I brought home. I bought some other favorite artworks home in the form of magnets to build my own gallery wall.
And the Van Gogh Museum has taken the idea even further with its four-set collection covering paintings as well as Vincent’s letters and life.
If you’re looking for an Amsterdam souvenir for a child
The next time you’re in Amsterdam, don’t rush past the museum shops just because you’re not looking for anything for yourself.
Look around.
You’ll find the obvious things — postcards, magnets, bookmarks, books and all the usual museum merchandise.
But keep an eye out for the little things that connect back to what you’ve actually seen inside the museum.
For me, these Playmobil sets were a particularly good find because they ticked several boxes at once:
They were affordable.
They were easy to pack.
They were connected to the museums I visited.
They were fun.
And they gave me something I could bring home and share with my children.
And now that they’re sitting on my shelf, they have another job too.
They remind me of two particularly memorable parts of my Amsterdam trip — walking through Rembrandt’s house on my very first day in the city and spending a full day immersed in Dutch art at the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum.
Not bad for a couple of tiny Playmobil sets.
Leave a Reply