Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum - Madison, GA

The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum first hit my radar a few years ago as the location of a couple of Mold-A-Rama machines. I may have mentioned my mild interest in Mold-A-Ramas once or twice here. Anyway, I recently realized that said Microcar museum is only about an hour and a half from our current location. Armed with that info we set out on Saturday to check it out.

A small Mold-A-Rama collection at the museum

 A short aside here, the tale of the Mold-A-Ramas is not a happy one. I emailed the museum to check if they did indeed have the MAR machines that the MAR website has listed for their location. And, yes, oh happy day, they DO have them. Yay right? Not so fast. They have them but they're not.turned.on. Ok, alright, no need to panic. Dear Microcar Museum I wrote, please turn on the machines because I'm coming to visit and I really, really, REALLY want those damn MAR's OK! Ahem. Not gonna happen. The machines are there but they won't be turned on. Even with this awful news we decided to head out there anyway. I thought maybe, just maybe some of the MAR figures would be made and available. Turns out I was right. But the figurine that was available was Mickey Mouse. I know right? Mickey Mouse. Le sigh. So while I was thisclose to two really cool MAR's they were not to be mine. Not yet.
 

 

Despite the so-close but so-far brush with the Mold-A-Ramas the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum was a fun and interesting place to visit. Microcars had their heyday in Europe at the end of WWII. Things were in ruins, there were shortages of every commodity and there was a lot of work to do. Microcars were born as a way to mobilize the population under adverse conditions. The bubble car boom (as they were known) lasted only ten years but left a lasting impression.

 From the website: The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum seeks to pay tribute to the people who built and loved these wonderful vehicles, some of which achieved lasting fame, others sinking into obscurity. It hopes to bring this brief, colorful flowering of talent and ingenuity to the attention of a new generation of automobile enthusiasts. It is currently the Largest Single Collection of Microcars in the World. If you know a larger one, please let us know!

 Walking around the museum you can't help but feel like Gulliver in a land of Lilliputian cars. You can't help but smile as you look out at the sea of teeny tiny cars in lots of bright colors. Little cars in all shapes and sizes, some with two doors, many with one. Each and everyone restored to its prime condition.

Amongst the restored cars are period advertizements, restored vending machines, kids rides and a few peddle cars.

 Before we realize a couple of hours have zoomed by. Just when you think you've seen the whole of the place something else catches your eye.

And in the everything old is new again file:

The museum as it sits today is going to be auctioned off in February of 2013. Every car, every vending machine, the Mold-A-Ramas. The next few months will be your last chance to see all of these tiny pieces of history in one place.

Don't be surprised if on that day in February one intrepid blogger will be in the crowd eying the Mold-A-Rama machines wondering once I win them where ever will I keep them.

Happy travels!