Berlin might struggle with certain staples, such as an airport or the sun, but it truly excels when it comes to museums where grown men want to show off the contents of their teenage bedrooms.
The world’s first computer game museum is old news and the world’s first sticker museum temporarily closed with a whimper last October. Yet even before the city’s manchild tears could dry, Generation 13 opened with a Batman-like baang!
It’s Europe’s first museum for ‘urban youth culture’; to the layman, that means there’s a ton of limited edition sneakers and toy figurines that should ring the bells of nostalgia for anyone born between the early 1960s and early 1980s, aka the 13th generation after the American Revolution. Opened by German actor Oliver Korittke and his two buddies in the former Mudd Club in Mitte, it’s a real trip down memory lane that reminds us of a time when our biggest worry was whether Tom might one day catch Jerry.
Whether it’s Star Wars memorabilia or comic book action figures, there ought to be something that brings a smile, but be warned, kids are liable to throw an epic tantrum at all the awesome toys that they aren’t allowed to touch. Those without a shoe fetish might be put off by the €8 entrance; those with one can marvel at the Daft Punk-inspired Adidas slip ons and more.
Originally published in Issue #116, May 2013.
