By Xiu Ying, Contributing Reporter
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The World’s Sweetest Museum comes to Brazil for the first time on June 20th.
After three months in Lisbon, Portugal, under the nickname “The Sweet Art Museum”, it will be set up in a two-story house in Jardim América, an elegant São Paulo neighborhood.
The exhibition will remain in São Paulo until August 18th, and will then head to Rio de Janeiro where it will open in September.
There are 15 rooms, some of which are different from what was seen in Europe, where the public will be given a one-hour tour.
One of the facilities is reserved for traditional Brazilian sweets, such as “brigadeiro” and “quindim”.
Luzia Canepa, director of the company bringing the project to Brazil, says to Folha de São Paulo that the public can expect sweets tastings, a virtual reality area that will tell the story of a sweet from São Paulo and even a seesaw of “brigadeiros”.
“One of the areas is reserved for “quindim”, which, despite originating in Portugal, was brought to Brazil with the replacement of almonds with coconut. Named Planeta Quindim, it will be a very special room, and it will also feature a virtual reality game,” says Canepa.
The most popular attraction during the museum’s Portuguese tour, the marshmallow pool, will also feature in the Brazilian edition.
“It’s where visitors have spent most of their visiting time, because everyone wants to get into it to pose and, of course, take photos for social networks,” says the director.
“This interactive museum will feature cookies, different from those in Portugal, and gelatos, similar to those in Europe, as well as giant donuts,” he adds.
Carla Santos, the creator of the World’s Sweetest Museum, emphasizes that the Brazilian tour has the same slogan as the European one: “Say Yes to Happiness!”.
“All rooms refer to childhood, but adults will quickly realize that it is not just a museum for children. The idea is for people to smell the scents, be enchanted by the colors, and play a lot. It’s a sensory museum.”
According to her, for each ticket sold, the museum will donate R$ 0.50 to the Renovatio Institute, based in Jardim Paulista, which helps children and adolescents see the world better, promoting eye examinations and donating prescription eyeglasses.
The goal is for the donation to benefit at least 400 people.
“And we will bring Maria Raquel Bolinho, a graffiti artist from Minas Gerais, who spreads graffiti art cupcakes throughout Belo Horizonte and will do two walls at the museum,” she adds.
All the more reason, therefore, to update Instagram. The hashtags have already been chosen: #digasimafelicidade and #omuseumaisdocedomundo.