Batman, anyone? Easily the biggest collection of memorabilia and items of its kind, the Batcat Museum has tens of thousands of items on display, almost all of which fall under the fantasy / animation genre.
How many masks can you identify? The name on the outside may be Batman (er, Batcat, technically), but there’s plenty more going on here.
Just left of the masks is a small cafe with cutesy drink names. Prices were pretty fair, but save the coffee for after the exhibit.
A large diorama of Star Wars — though I’m thankful Jabba the Hutt wasn’t life-sized…
A reminder of how many characters Pixar has contributed to the world of animation.
It’s about here where I’m reminded there’s a much broader world of animation and fantasy out there.
We’re still in the first room here — and the variety is wonderfully nostalgic.
It seems an odd trio — or at least one of them doesn’t belong alongside two other action heroes. Oddly, this looks like the same Jar Jar Binks seen at the Papaya Vintage Market.
Not everything is new, or even made within my lifetime. The Gundam condoms, however, make me chuckle a little.
There are almost certainly larger collections of Pez in North America, but almost certainly not in Asia. These tightly-packed containers might actually be missed if you’re not looking carefully — they’re on one of the bottom shelves.
The latter half of the museum makes up the expected collection of Batman — it almost looks like a store was raided here…
Just a few of the many Batmans on display.
Batman just wouldn’t be Batman without all the villans around, of course.
Once you’re finished with the museum part, enter the ‘for sale’ collection — still nicely displayed in one of the larger souvenir stores I’ve seen in awhile. Plenty of options are here, from a tiny Batman unsafe for toddlers at a mere 80 baht to a 1:1 reproduction of Hellboy’s Samaritan gun for a slightly higher 88,000 baht. It’s not all action heros, but plenty of adults will be hit with nostalgia as they walk around.
Compared to the Million Toy Museum in Ayutthaya, the collection is more full of toys for adults (e.g. the collectible sort of things you keep behind a glass case, not the sort kids actually play with), along with the more predictable commercial / movie tie-ins. It works as part of a day trip around Bangkok, or as a destination during a layover — being along the Airport Rail Link means it’s almost easier to get there from the airport than Bangkok.
Looking for more stuff to do in Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand? A fellow blogger has some fun ideas.
See the best places Bangkok has to offer in 3 days with this step-by-step itinerary.
Name: Batcat Museum (พิพิธภัณฑ์ แบทแคท มิวเซียม)
Address: 7032 Srinakarin Road. Huamark, Bangkapi, Bangkok, 10240. GPS: 13.763863,100.645350
Directions: Get to the Airport Rail Link line — if coming from the BTS, Phaya Thai works great; from the MRT, Phetchaburi station works well. Either well, transfer to the Airport Rail Link line like you’re going to the airport. Note that the Rail Link comes with its own, incompatible, stored-value card — your MRT or BTS card won’t work. Instead, pick up a 30 baht red poker chip for a ticket.
Get off at Hua Mak, then take exit 1 to street. Follow the road to the intersection, CROSS THE ROAD, then turn left and walk to the bus stop. Bus 145, 182, and 207 will head up north — get off just after Ramkhamhaeng road, about 4 kilometers from where you got on. You’ll see it on the left. If the bus reaches a T, don’t panic — get off and backtrack.
Hours: Open Monday-Friday, 10 am-6 pm, Saturday-Sunday, 9 am-6 pm.
Admission: 250 baht for foreigners (100 baht for Thai adults — supposedly you can get the local price with a Thai ID)
Phone: 02–375–9006 or 081–122–5039
Website: http://www.facebook.com/batcat.museum
