One of my favorite Korean dramas of all time is
Princess Hours, which first aired in 2006 and starred my favorite Korean actress,
Yoon Eun Hye. I loved the drama so much that I've even dreamed of flying to Jeju Island so that I can visit the teddy bear museum which was featured in the drama. However, a trip to the island is not possible at this time - budget-wise and schedule-wise.
But as luck would have it, I need not fly all the way to Jeju just to see the teddy bears. Apparently, there's a teddy bear museum here in Seoul, and it's just a few subway stations away from where we live! I was over the moon, all the more after receiving an invitation from the museum to come and visit!
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| Sleuth = group of bears. |
And so yesterday, Yue and I went to nearby Jongno to visit the
Teseum Teddy Bear Theme Park. Located near
Exit 6 of Dongmyo Station, this sleuth
(aka group of bears) is the first thing you'll see when you emerge from the subway station.
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| Off to the bear cave! |
This cave-like structure is the entrance to the museum, and as you descend the stairs you'll be greeted by rows upon rows of cute and colorful bear statues.
To the bear cave, we go!
More of Teseum after the jump!
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| Welcome to Teseum! |
Tickets can be purchased at the lobby, with rates starting at
5000 won (around Php 220 or $4). We were given the
Teseum + Mirror Maze package, which costs
14500 won (around Php 650 or $13) for adults and
9500 won (around Php 420 or $8) for kids.
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| Admission fees. |
Before we entered the
Mirror Maze, we were asked to wear plastic gloves which were handed out at the entrance. I reckon this is to avoid leaving finger prints on the mirrors, because people tend to touch them as the find their way out of the maze. I was actually a bit scared that we won't be able to get out of the labyrinth, but Yue and I somehow managed to escape unscathed
(i.e. no bumps or bruises). And we had fun while we were at it!
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| Inside the Mirror Maze! |
We then made our way to
Teseum aka the museum proper, located adjacent to the Mirror Maze. One of the first of its kind in Korea (and even the world), Teseum showcases premium quality handmade mohair teddy bears in all shapes and sizes. They are created by teddy bear artists
Inae Leem and
Shin Soo Hyun, who learned the craft from teddy bear masters in Germany.
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| A sneak peek of the artists' workshop. |
The exhibition is divided into six different areas - the
Teddy Bear Story, the
Teddy Bear Art Garden, the
Korean Folk Village,
Teseum Country,
Teseum Fairy Tales, and
Teseum Adventure. I'm planning to post an album dedicated to our Teseum adventure on my
Facebook page, but for now, here are some of my favorite photos.
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| Teddy Bear Symphony. |
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| Meet Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt. |
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| Bears and books! |
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| My Bear from the Stars. |
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| Teddy Bear Art Garden. |
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| Spring feels! :) |
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| Dae Jang Bear (Kdrama fans will understand the pun). |
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| Jeonha (king)! |
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| Yue blending in. Haha! |
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| Mama Bear and her crew, lol! |
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| A Walk in the Clouds (with bears). |
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| Biker Bears! |
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| Chillin' with the bears. |
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| Mama Bear's Happy Fruits and Vegetables! :) |
Aside from teddy bears, the museum also features other stuffed toys such as these life-sized animals from the ocean and the wild.
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| Under the sea! |
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| Into the wild! |
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| Safari! |
Towards the end of the exhibition, you'll find the
Gift Shop which sells not only teddy bears and plushies but also shirts, bags, fridge magnets, and key chains.
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| Bears for souvenirs! |
Yue, thoughtful as always, bought a teddy bear as a gift for Maggie
(my niece). He never forgets to bring home something for his cousin whenever go on trips.
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| A teddy bear for Maggie. |
If you're in Korea or visiting the country with your kids, make sure you stop by
Teseum. The young ones will definitely marvel at the life-sized bears and enjoy taking pictures with them. Even the young at heart will enjoy the experience, too. Take it from me; I had a blast walking among these teddy bears!
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| With Ms. Jina Kim of Teseum! |
Thank you,
Teseum for having us! And thank you Ms. Jina Kim for the invite! It was a pleasure meeting you! :)
To get to Teseum Teddy Bear Theme Park, take the subway to Dongmyo Station Exit 6.
CIZN Bldg. B1,
19 Jibong-ru, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82 1877 0279
Teseum Jeju
2159 Pyeonghwa-ro, Aewol-up, Jeju-si, Jeju-do
+82 64 799 4820
6 replies:
Wow, what a fun little gallery to check out with your little one. It looks like a lot of fun. We love teddy bears here.
WOW! My twins will go crazy over this place! They are so in love with teddy bears at the moment and I'm sure they're going to have a great time here.
How cool is it that the entrance is like a cave! It's so nice that you discovered this place. I would love to see all those bears in person! SO AWESOME!!!
How fun! My niece is obsessed with teddy bears, so she would love to visit something like this! There are so many adorable displays in there, we could spend hours looking around. I wish there was a similar thing here where we live, but so far I haven't found any.
Waa! I guess the place is really nice! Im sure my kids will love to visit this place too!
What a fun museum! I would love to take my children with me too. The entrance fee is very reasonable, the only thing I would have to worry about though is the airfare to get to Seoul!
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