Every adult who grew up in the USSR fondly remembers their childhood. These memories evoke nostalgia and a desire to return to that time, even if just for a moment. Such an opportunity exists at the Museum of Happy Childhood in Kazan, which opened in March 2015. It houses exhibits familiar to anyone who lived during the Soviet era. It was founded by Rustam Valiakhmetov, who continued the work of his first project, the Museum of Socialist Everyday Life, located nearby and dedicated to items from the 70s and 80s. This museum opened in 2011 and is constantly being updated thanks to contributions from residents and tourists.

The Museum of Happy Childhood occupies two floors and offers interactive engagement with the exhibits. Visitors can try on clothing, sit on furniture and vehicles, and even purchase some items.

The first floor recreates the atmosphere of a Soviet school, where one can sit at an old desk with an inkwell, hold books from that era, and try on a school uniform.

The second floor surprises with an exhibition reflecting the life of a Soviet person from kindergarten to the army. Like the first museum, it is constantly being replenished with new exhibits.

Among the most striking exhibits are a working gramophone with records, a 'Crimea' heater, a film projector, tape recorders, numerous children's toys, clothing and footwear, old telephones, bicycles, scooters, and mopeds, Soviet arcade machines, video players with cassettes, televisions, musical instruments, dishes and household items from a corner of a Soviet apartment, board games, early gaming consoles, party paraphernalia, books and textbooks, and wall posters.

Particular attention is drawn to certificates from 1944 and a wall newspaper from 1951.

Some exhibits have been donated by celebrities. For example, the museum has a children's guitar belonging to Joseph Kobzon, symbolizing his first encounter with music.

Under the museum's sign hangs a poster featuring the band 'Leningrad' in support of a book campaign organized by the museum's administration. It reads: 'Sergey Shnurov, the band 'Leningrad', and the Museum of Socialist Everyday Life present the all-Russian campaign 'They grew up on these books!'. Now, an exhibition of Soviet books from the 70s and 80s is in your city.'