Mega Curioso visited the Rá-Tim-Bum Castle exhibition in São Paulo

The Museum of Image and Sound in Sao Paulo is experiencing its most popular moment of all time. All of this thanks to the exhibition of Castelo-Rá-Tim-Bum, a tribute to the TV Cultura children's program that in 2014 celebrates its 20th anniversary. Produced in conjunction with the original television team and MIS museologists, Mega Curioso decided to visit this one which has proven to be one of the most visited places in Sao Paulo.

Right at the entrance the visitor will come across a gigantic image of the Castle, which was placed on the side of the museum. The picture is so large that the main tower was forced out, projecting into the sky in an effect that makes the entrance of MIS a very cozy and familiar place for fans of the series. Even bigger and scarier than the big castle is the length of the line that visitors have found to enter, especially on weekends.

How to enter the exhibition

The first tip we can give you is to buy your ticket in advance over the internet. MIS has been campaigning to make new lots available as tickets sell out. Just like at the box office, a person can purchase only four tickets, which must be withdrawn at the reception of the event.

If you want to try your luck, or there are no tickets available on the internet for your free day, the way is to go to the exhibition early to secure entry. The Mega Curioso team arrived at around 9 am and were able to buy tickets only for a 4 pm session. This is because the MIS organization believes it is more important to ensure a good visitor experience by limiting the number of people who can stay within the exhibit at the same time.

Visiting the castle

The exhibition occupies the first and second floor of the Museum, and is also divided into two parts. In the first one, visitors will visit pieces of the program's collection, most of them recovered and restored by the MIS team. Items that can be found include scene objects, photographs, character costumes, and different portions of the program. A nice addition to this session is the testimonials recorded by the original cast actors created especially for the exhibition.

Even more interesting is the second part of the show, which has an experience that can thrill any grown man: a visit to the Castle. From the gate with the friendly doorman robot and following more than ten rooms, the exhibition here perfectly recreates the castle sets. In this part, the public will also be able to see the original dolls of the popular series, such as the Painted Cat, the Evil Monster, the Celestial Snake, and the Tap and Flap Boots.

Schedules for all tastes

MIS took the Rá-Tim-Bum Castle's 20th anniversary so seriously that only one exhibition would be too little. The museum has a huge complementary program for fans of all ages, but especially the little ones who didn't have a chance to watch the show at the time. The weekends will feature shows with different cast actors such as Rosi Campos (Morgana) and Angela Dip (Penelope).

In the field of education, MIS's innovation comes from a series of free art workshops aimed at the general public and teachers. Among the items related to the Castle is “Stop Motion: Rat Mouse Castle Ra-Tim-Bum”, which runs from August 13 to September 5 and consists of a workshop of the classic animation technique with play dough.

About the program

For the unknown audience, Rá-Tim-Bum Castle was the most popular program ever produced by TV Cultura, with an extremely high audience for its educational nature. It was filmed and aired between 1994 and 1997 as a spiritual sequel to another hit from the station, called Ra-Tim-Bum, which also spawned a third show, Ra-Tim-Bum Island. The Castle was created by playwright Flávio de Souza and director Cao Hamburger and features scripts by Dionisio Jacob, Claudia Dalla Verde and Anna Muylaert.

Rá-Tim-Bum Castle was also an absolute critical success, winning several national awards, such as the best children's program of 1994 by the Paulista Association of Art Critics - APCA and the Sharp Music Award for the best children's album. The series also had a big international highlight, winning the silver medal in the category of best children's program of the New York Festival in 1995 and having its broadcast rights acquired by Nickelodeon, who reproduced it throughout Latin America.

The Castle was formed by the collaboration of 250 professionals, including directors, actors, visual effects team, set designers, painters, cabinet makers, musicians, Portuguese teachers and pedagogy specialists. The success of the series was so great that in 1999 she won a feature film, screened in many movie theaters in Brazil and around the world.

The Museum of Image and Sound is located at Avenida Europa 158 in Sao Paulo. The exhibition will remain open until October 12, 2014. It operates from Tuesdays to Fridays from 11am to 9pm, Saturdays from 9am to 11pm and Sundays and holidays from 9am to 8pm.