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Gulf Today
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Croatia laughter museum aims to blow away the blues of visitors
A new museum of laughter is offering to put people through the spinner to wash away the negativity of modern life. Visitors to the HaHaHouse in the Croatian capital Zagreb are blasted with a puff of white smoke once they step inside to blow away their worries before climbing into a 'giant washing machine'. The 'centrifuge of life' then whips them away Willy Wonka-style down a twisting slide into a pool filled with little white balls where their journey to a happier place starts. Its creator Andrea Golubic said she had the idea for the museum during the pandemic when many were feeling down, depressed and isolated. 'I realised that I had a mission — to heal people with laughter,' added the upbeat 43-year-old. The idea 'came straight from the heart', Golubic said, and on that very day I listed 78 exhibits... that's how the HaHaHouse began.' Golubic said it was her carefree seven-year-old self that inspired her — 'a picture of me as a first-grader, with wide teeth and dying of laughter. I was constantly joking as a kid,' she said. Visitors press a button to be 'disinfected from negativity' as soon as they step inside the museum, which has eight interactive zones. One has a rubber chicken choir cheerfully cackling out hits like ABBA's 'Dancing Queen', there is a karaoke room with distorted voices and a 'Sumo Arena' for wrestling in puffed up costumes. There is also some serious history of humour from ancient to modern times told through theatre, film or the net. The museum also explains humour styles, from word play, slapstick, toilet and dark humour to satire with the help of some choice one-liners. 'I've had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware,' is one of the featured zingers from US comedian Joan Rivers. Golubic said the HaHaHouse is drawing everyone from small children to the elderly, with grown-ups seeing it as a good excuse to play at being kids again themselves. 'All those who still feel a bit of childish joy and embrace their inner child, will recharge themselves,' she insisted. Pensioner Bruno Dadic said he was 'delighted' by his visit 'as there is never enough humour in life. 'Laughter is a medicine for the soul,' he said. Zagreb's psychiatric hospital has voiced interest in organised visits and links are also being made with schools and retirement homes. 'The museum is great,' said Aleksandar Suka who celebrated his fifth birthday with a visit. Accompanied by his mother, the little boy said he loved lying on the 'Bed of Nails' since they tickled him. Singer Zorica Bucic, from the coastal town of Split, said the museum was perfect for our times 'when we are bombarded with so much bad news. 'Entering here is like entering childhood, being relieved of all problems. If you could come here more there would be no need to pay a psychologist,' she said. Indeed, laughter is a defence mechanism which gives people strength to face their problems, psychologist Petar Kraljevic said, saying he loved the idea too. 'If a prescription for three hours of laughter per 24 hours could be written and followed that would certainly give positive results.' Meanwhile, Croatia's tourism revenues are expected to reach a new record of 16 billion euros (16.51 billion US dollars) for the past year, according to the latest data from the Croatian National Bank (CNB). In the first nine months alone, revenues from foreign tourists reached 13.19 billion euros, the CNB said, crediting a strong pre-season and record-breaking post-season. Sports groups, outdoor activities, history, culture and gastronomy were the main drivers for pre-season travel. Similarly, the post-season exceeded the year 2023's numbers by double-digit percentages in terms of visitor numbers, the CNB noted. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Croatia's tourism revenues have exploded with double-digit growth rates as in 2023, they increased by 11.3 per cent to 14.6 billion euros. In 2022, Croatia's tourism revenues reached 13.1 billion euros, a 44 per cent increase from 2021. Meanwhile, the record-high revenues from tourism last year are also due partly to the increased prices across all services, especially accommodation, Xinhua news agency reported. 'We achieved a higher average room rate and total revenue per room. However, it is important to note that inflationary pressures remained high, marking the third consecutive year of declining gross operating profits,' Veljko Ostojic, director of the Croatian Tourism Association, was quoted by the local Croatia Week as saying. Several factors contributed to reduced demand during the peak tourism season, including major sporting events such as the UEFA European Football Championship in Germany and the Olympic Games held in France. Additionally, there was a 5 per cent drop in German visitors, traditionally Croatia's most numerous tourist demographic, Ostojic said. Agencies
Observer
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Observer
Croatia laughter museum aims to blow away the blues
A new museum of laughter is offering to put people through the spinner to wash away the negativity of modern life. Visitors to the HaHaHouse in the Croatian capital Zagreb are blasted with a puff of white smoke once they step inside to blow away their worries before climbing into a "giant washing machine". The "centrifuge of life" then whips them away Willy Wonka-style down a twisting slide into a pool filled with little white balls where their journey to a happier place starts. Its creator Andrea Golubic said she had the idea for the museum during the pandemic when many were feeling down, depressed and isolated. Museum founder Andrea Golubic poses inside a pool full of small white balls at the HaHaHouse museum of laughter in central Zagreb, on January 21, 2025. The 450-square-metre (4,844-square-feet) museum, which opened in January, offers eight interactive zones and has also an educational part featuring the history of humour from ancient to modern times and via different formats -- theatre, film or Internet. (Photo by Damir SENCAR / AFP) "I realised that I had a mission -- to heal people with laughter," added the upbeat 43-year-old. The idea "came straight from the heart", Golubic told AFP, and on that very day I listed 78 exhibits... that's how the HaHaHouse began." Golubic said it was her carefree seven-year-old self that inspired her -- "a picture of me as a first-grader, with wide teeth and dying of laughter. I was constantly joking as a kid," she said. Visitors press a button to be "disinfected from negativity" as soon as they step inside the museum, which has eight interactive zones. One has a rubber chicken choir cheerfully cackling out hits like ABBA's "Dancing Queen", there is a karaoke room with distorted voices and a "Sumo Arena" for wrestling in puffed up costumes. There is also some serious history of humour from ancient to modern times told through theatre, film or the net. The museum also explains humour styles, from word play, slapstick, toilet and dark humour to satire with the help of some choice one-liners. Zorica Bucic, a visitor from Split, sings in karaoke room as she visits the HaHaHouse museum of laughter in central Zagreb, on January 21, 2025. The 450-square-metre (4,844-square-feet) museum, which opened in January, offers eight interactive zones and has also an educational part featuring the history of humour from ancient to modern times and via different formats -- theatre, film or Internet. (Photo by Damir SENCAR / AFP) "I've had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware," is one of the featured zingers from US comedian Joan Rivers. - 'Inner child' - Golubic said the HaHaHouse is drawing everyone from small children to the elderly, with grown-ups seeing it as a good excuse to play at being kids again themselves. "All those who still feel a bit of childish joy and embrace their inner child, will recharge themselves," she insisted. Pensioner Bruno Dadic told AFP he was "delighted" by his visit "as there is never enough humour in life. "Laughter is a medicine for the soul," he said. Zagreb's psychiatric hospital has voiced interest in organised visits and links are also being made with schools and retirement homes. This photograph shows an installation depecting feet coming out a washing machine at the HaHaHouse museum of laughter in central Zagreb, on January 21, 2025. The 450-square-metre (4,844-square-feet) museum, which opened in January, offers eight interactive zones and has also an educational part featuring the history of humour from ancient to modern times and via different formats -- theatre, film or Internet. (Photo by Damir SENCAR / AFP) "The museum is great," said Aleksandar Suka who celebrated his fifth birthday with a visit. Accompanied by his mother, the little boy said he loved lying on the "Bed of Nails" since they tickled him. Singer Zorica Bucic, from the coastal town of Split, said the museum was perfect for our times "when we are bombarded with so much bad news. "Entering here is like entering childhood, being relieved of all problems. If you could come here more there would be no need to pay a psychologist," she said. Indeed, laughter is a defence mechanism which gives people strength to face their problems, psychologist Petar Kraljevic told AFP, saying he loved the idea too. "If a prescription for three hours of laughter per 24 hours could be written and followed that would certainly give positive results." —AFP
Voice of America
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Voice of America
Visitors Laugh Away Troubles at the HaHaHouse Museum
A new museum of laughter in Croatia is offering to help people deal with the negativity of modern life. Visitors to the HaHaHouse in the Croatian capital Zagreb walk into a little cloud of white smoke when they step inside. Its purpose is to blow away their worries before they climb into a "giant washing machine". Then they move down a twisting slide into a space filled with little white balls where their trip to a happier place starts. Forty-three-year-old Andrea Golubic is the museum's creator. Golubic said she got the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, many people were feeling down, depressed and alone: "I realized that I had a mission -- to heal people with laughter." The idea "came straight from the heart", Golubic told the French News Agency (AFP). She had ideas for many of the museum elements in one day: 'that's how the HaHaHouse began." Golubic said a picture of her when she was seven-year-old inspired her. 'I was constantly joking as a kid," she added. Visitors press a button to be "disinfected from negativity" as soon as they step inside the museum, which has eight interactive zones, or areas. One has rubber chickens singing cheerfully. They sing songs like ABBA's "Dancing Queen." There is a karaoke room with distorted voices and a "Sumo Arena" for wrestling in puffed up clothes. There is also some serious history of humor from ancient to modern times told through theatre, film or the internet. The museum also explains different kinds of humor. These include word play, slapstick, dark humor and satire. Inner child Golubic said the HaHaHouse is popular with everyone from small children to older people. Adults say it is a good excuse to act like a child. "All those who still feel a bit of childish joy and embrace their inner child, will recharge themselves," she said. Retiree Bruno Dadic told AFP he was pleased by his visit "as there is never enough humor in life. "Laughter is a medicine for the soul," he said. Aleksandar Suka celebrated his fifth birthday with a visit. Visiting with his mother, the little boy said he liked lying on the "Bed of Nails" since they tickled him. Singer Zorica Bucic, from the coastal town of Split, said the museum was just right for our times. "Entering here is like entering childhood, being relieved of all problems,' she said. Bucic added that if you could come to museum often, you would not need to visit a psychologist. Psychologist Petar Kraljevic told AFP that laughter is a kind of weapon which gives people strength to face their problems. He said that if doctors could advise their patients to have "three hours of laughter' a day, people would feel much better. I'm John Russell. Lajla Veselica reported this story for Agence-France Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. ____________________________________________________ Words in This Story museum –n. a building that holds many exhibits showing things related to a subject such as history, art or any other subject people are interested in negativity – n. an attitude in which someone considers only the bad qualities of someone or something twist – v. to curve or change direction suddenly inspire – v. to make (someone) want to do something; to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create interactive – adj. designed to respond to the actions or commands of a user karaoke –n. a pastime in which people sing along with music of popular songs slapstick – n. comedy that involves physical action (such as falling down or hitting people satire – n. a way of using humor to show that someone or something is foolish, weak, or bad; humor that shows the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government, society, etc. embrace – v. to accept (something or someone) readily or gladly recharge – v. to rest and relax in order to regain your energy and strength tickle – v. to make (someone) laugh by lightly touching a very sensitive part of the body with fingers, a feather, or the like psychologist –n. a health specialist who is not usually a doctor but aims to treat people with mental or behavioral problems What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.
South China Morning Post
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Celebrate the funny side of life at HaHaHouse museum of laughter
Published: 9:45am, 14 Feb 2025 A new museum of laughter is offering to put people through the spinner to wash away the negativity of modern life. Visitors to the HaHaHouse in the Croatian capital Zagreb are blasted with a puff of white smoke once they step inside to blow away their worries before climbing into a 'giant washing machine'. The 'centrifuge of life' then whips them away, Willy Wonka-style, down a twisting slide into a pool filled with little white balls where their journey to a happier place starts. Its creator, Andrea Golubic, said she had the idea for the museum during the Covid-19 pandemic when many were feeling down, depressed and isolated. Museum founder Andrea Golubic (left) in the lobby of the HaHaHouse museum of laughter, in central Zagreb, Croatia. Photo: AFP
