Entry No. 70 — the Denver file — filed under: history
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys
The cutesy name undersells it: this is a serious collection of 20,000+ objects dating back to the 1680s, crammed into a small Lakewood building after the museum left its historic Capitol Hill cottage in 2020. The crown jewel is Miss Yokohama, one of only 58 Japanese Friendship Dolls sent to the U.S. in 1927, most of which are now lost. Antique dollhouses, working miniatures, and tin toys fill the rest. It's the kind of place even longtime locals didn't know existed.
The story
Don't let the saccharine name fool you. The collection packed into this unassuming Lakewood storefront contains over 20,000 objects dating back to the 1680s. Until 2020, the museum operated out of the historic Pearce-McAllister Cottage in Capitol Hill. When that lease ended, staff relocated 340 years of micro-craftsmanship, antique tin toys, and miniature architecture into a compact building on Kipling Street. The miniature collection features work by International Guild of Miniature Artisans fellows, including functional gold, silver, and timber pieces, alongside full-scale artisan dollhouses like the 1929 'Someday House'—modeled after a Denver Country Club estate—and a 1970s Santa Fe adobe mansion.
The crown jewel of the collection sits behind glass: Miss Yokohama. In 1927, a former missionary organized an exchange where American children sent 'blue-eyed dolls' to Japan. Japan responded by commissioning 58 ambassadorial 'Friendship Dolls' from master craftsmen to ease growing diplomatic tensions. Miss Yokohama was crafted by the Ohki Heizo (Maruhei) Doll Company in Kyoto using carved wood, human hair, glass eyes, and a skin coating made of powdered oyster shells and glue (*gofun*). Assigned to Colorado, she spent decades in the children's room at the Denver Public Library, where young patrons were allowed to handle and dress her. By the time librarians rediscovered her in storage in 1994, her face was split by a large crack and her kimono was ruined. The museum acquired her, shipped her back to Yokohama for painstaking historic restoration, and returned her to display as one of the few surviving artifacts of a forgotten 1920s peace campaign.
What it's like
GPS will almost certainly try to dump you onto 8th Avenue behind a car wash. Ignore it. Turn east directly off Kipling Street at the 8th Place stoplight straight into the front parking lot. Inside, the space is compact and quiet, curated by volunteers who know the history behind every room box and vintage Star Wars figurine. Because of the small floor plan, a complete walk-through takes 45 to 60 minutes, making this a quick stop rather than an all-day excursion. Admission is around $5, last entry is strictly at 3:00 PM, and doors are only open Friday through Sunday.
The move: Slow-walk the miniature rooms together and pick which tiny house you'd move into, then track down Miss Yokohama and read up on how she survived nearly a century.
📍 Before you go The museum sits on a busy commercial stretch of Kipling St in Lakewood, on the east side just past a car wash — note that GPS often misroutes you to 8th Ave behind that car wash, so look for the traffic light near 8th Pl and turn east directly into the lot (there's overflow parking in back if the front fills). It's a small building, ADA accessible, with a gift shop, so a thorough visit runs short rather than all-day. Open only a few days a week, mostly weekends, and closed major holidays — confirm the day's schedule before driving out. Pair it with a walk at Crown Hill Park a few miles north up Kipling, or food and shops at Belmar over toward Wadsworth.
- 📍 Lakewood
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 830 Kipling St, Lakewood, CO 80215 (just east of the Kipling St & 8th Pl stoplight)
Hours: Fri & Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 1-4pm; last entry 3pm. ~$5 adult. Closed major holidays.
Pair it with
- Chain Reaction Records — Follow a tour of 18th-century miniature rooms with punk vinyl and metal cassette tapes at this scene-defining shop just a mile down the road.
- Rocky Mountain Punk Nature Art & Oddities — Trade micro-dollhouses for real pinned insects, bone jewelry, and oddities at this nearby strip-mall storefront.
- Tower of Memories — Head two miles north up Kipling to gawk at a 158-foot Gothic mausoleum tower standing in Crown Hill Cemetery.
- African Grill and Bar — Grab authentic West African slow-cooked dishes at a strip-mall spot two miles south after your walkthrough.
Good to know
How long does it take to see the museum?
A thorough visit takes about 45 minutes to an hour to view the artisan dollhouses, toy collections, and Miss Yokohama.
Where should I park?
Park in the lot directly in front of the building off Kipling Street; if those spots are taken, there is overflow parking behind the building.
Is the museum accessible?
Yes, the single-story building is fully ADA accessible, though space between display cases can be cozy.
Why is Miss Yokohama so significant?
She is one of only 58 Japanese Friendship Dolls sent to the U.S. in 1927, and one of only seven created by Kyoto's prestigious Ohki Heizo Doll Company.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: dmmdt.org · Yelp · Westword · Official site · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-07