From a gallery under the sea to a cave lined with human hair, step inside 16 real museums that collect the things nobody else would. Read each exhibit placard, pick your answer and earn a stamp in your museum passport.
Most of us picture museums as grand halls of paintings, dinosaurs and ancient treasures. But tucked into side streets, castle stables and even the seafloor are museums devoted to mustard, lawnmowers, toilets, parasites and broken hearts. Many began with one person's obsession and grew into collections that draw visitors from around the world.
This odd museum quiz takes you on a tour of 16 of the world's most unusual museums across Asia, Europe and the Americas. Each question is based on verified details from the museums themselves, tourism boards and reputable news coverage, so you'll finish the tour with real facts you can share.
Every exhibit card describes a real museum. Choose one of three answers.
A correct pick earns a "Masterpiece" stamp; a wrong one is marked "Replica."
Answer all 16 to unlock your museum membership card and rank.
Each correct answer earns one "Masterpiece" stamp. Your total out of 16 decides your title in the Curiosity Wing:
All 16 museums from the quiz, where to find them and what they collect.
| Museum | Location | What it collects |
|---|---|---|
| MUSA | Cancún, Mexico | Underwater sculptures forming an artificial reef |
| Museum of Broken Relationships | Zagreb, Croatia | Objects and stories from ended relationships |
| Sulabh International Museum of Toilets | New Delhi, India | The history of toilets and sanitation |
| Meguro Parasitological Museum | Tokyo, Japan | Parasite specimens and research |
| Museum of Bad Art | Massachusetts, USA | Sincere art gone wonderfully wrong |
| Dog Collar Museum | Leeds Castle, Kent, England | Five centuries of dog collars |
| Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda | Ikeda, Osaka, Japan | The story of instant ramen |
| Museum of Witchcraft and Magic | Boscastle, Cornwall, England | Folk magic and witchcraft objects |
| International Cryptozoology Museum | Portland, Maine, USA | Bigfoot, sea serpents and other cryptids |
| National Mustard Museum | Middleton, Wisconsin, USA | Thousands of mustards and mustard pots |
| Vent Haven Museum | Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, USA | Ventriloquist figures and memorabilia |
| Avanos Hair Museum (Chez Galip) | Avanos, Cappadocia, Türkiye | Locks of hair left by visitors |
| Paris Sewer Museum | Paris, France | The engineering history of the city's sewers |
| British Lawnmower Museum | Southport, England | Vintage and celebrity lawnmowers |
| Derwent Pencil Museum | Keswick, England | Graphite mining and pencil making |
| SPAM Museum | Austin, Minnesota, USA | The history of SPAM and Hormel |
An unusual museum isn't simply a silly one. Look closely at the collections in this quiz and a pattern appears: most began with a single passionate collector. Barry Levenson's mustards, W.S. Berger's ventriloquist figures and Loren Coleman's cryptid casts all started as private hobbies that outgrew their homes.
Odd museums take an everyday object and treat it with the seriousness usually saved for royal treasures.
Many also carry a deeper message. The Sulabh toilet museum supports a public-health mission, MUSA protects coral reefs, and the Meguro museum began as a center for parasite research in post-war Japan. Even the Museum of Broken Relationships, which sounds like a joke, invites visitors to reflect on loss and recovery. Others preserve local history: Keswick's pencils tell the story of a rare graphite find, and the Paris sewers show the engineering that made a modern city livable.
In short, odd museums remind us that almost anything, from a lawnmower to a lock of hair, can reveal something about how people live, work and remember.
It's a free, 16-question multiple-choice quiz about real unusual museums around the world, including museums of mustard, toilets, parasites, lawnmowers and ventriloquist dummies. Each answer includes a short fact-checked explanation.
Each correct answer earns one stamp in your museum passport. After all 16 exhibits, your score unlocks one of six ranks, from "Lost in the Gift Shop" to "Keeper of Curiosities."
Yes. Every museum in this quiz is a real institution that has been open to the public. Because hours, locations and prices can change, always check each museum's official website before planning a visit.
That depends on taste. Popular picks include the Meguro Parasitological Museum, the Avanos Hair Museum and the underwater MUSA in Cancún, which you can only visit by diving, snorkeling or glass-bottom boat.
Among the museums in this quiz, the Meguro Parasitological Museum and the SPAM Museum are known for free admission. Others charge modest fees or are included in a wider ticket, such as the Dog Collar Museum at Leeds Castle.
We checked every exhibit against official museum and tourism pages, university and public-broadcaster reporting and established reference sources. If you spot an error, please contact us and we'll correct it.
Last reviewed: November 8, 2026 · Museum details such as hours and prices can change; please confirm with each museum before visiting.