During an October 2020 trip to the East Frisia (Ostfriesland) region, I just could not prevent myself to have a short visit to Emden to visit a very special museum right in the heart of the city. Dat Otto Huus (“The Otto House”) is a place full of memorabilia by German comedian, actor and singer Otto Waalkes, who is one of the big names in the German comedy scene since the 1970’s. Here is my review of visiting the place, which is very characteristic by the Ottifant statue looking out of the house wall (the Ottifant is likely Otto Waalke’s most well-known character created).
Dat Otto Huus – Location & Admission
Dat Otto Huus combines a souvenir store with a museum. It is located right in the heart of Emden. I unfortunately did not have sufficient time to visit all the attractions around, as Emden features a couple of quite interesting museums. The Georg Breusing Rescue Cruiser Museum Ship is just around, for example. The museum is at the pedestrian zone, so you can do some shopping as well.
Dat Otto Huus is open Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 17:00 hrs. On Saturdays, it is already closing at 14:00. The shop is of course free of charge. The museum is a 2 Euro adult admission. However, practically proceedings are donated to charity.
Dat Otto Huus – Shop
Typically, you visit a museum and then you are so flashed by the exhibits and your memories that you just have to grab a bunch of souvenirs. At Dat Otto Huus, you have to credit in advance and first go to the souvenir store. It is possible of course to queue for the shop again, but during Covid-19, the small space just allows for one party at the same time, so you may have to wait an hour or more to get into the shop and the museum.
The shop just offers what you would expect: shits, plush Ottifanten and all kinds of other memorabilia of life and characters created by Otto Waalkes. The pricing was thereby quite reasonable.
Dat Otto Huus – The Exhibition
Loaded with the souvenirs, you are entering the museum, which are in fact two packed floors in a house which is in fact the same area as the shop is – not too spacious. In the first level, you find a two Ottifanten status, awards, some memorabilia of Otto Waalke’s live-on-stage performances, items from his very early stage performances as well as strange items. If you are a fan, you could easily spent half an hour on that level – but at least during pandemic times, that’s also the time span the next guests have to wait.
The upper floor rather features items from Waalkes’ movies, especially the ones published before the very popular 7 Zwerge movies (which are a Snow White parody). If you watched the Otto movies in the 1980’s and 1990’s, you will love a couple of items you find in there. There is also a small cinema, which – of course – cannot operate during the increased hygienic regulations.
Dat Otto Huus – My View
Of course, you have to queue quite a while (on a Saturday, I would guess not to arrive after noon) and you need to have a relation to Otto Waalkes and his works – but if you do so, Dat Otto Huus in Emden is really a fun place to be – and it’s even charity. Visiting the museum gave me back a lot of childhood memories. The place is quite compact, of course, so your actual visit time might even be shorter than your time in the pandemic waiting line. But sometimes you just have invest in good times.
German Museums
Here are all my postings about museums and exhibitions related to or located in Germany:

The FC St. Pauli Museum (Kiezbeben)

Hamburg Coffee Museum Burg

Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp Memorial

Nature Museum (Naturmuseum) Dortmund

Bitburger Brewery World

Frankfurt Airport (Fraport) Visitors’ Center

Panorama Pergamonmuseum Berlin

German Rail Museum (DB Museum) Nuremberg

Road Stop Motel Mettmann (Presidential Suite)

German Hunting and Fishing Museum Munich

Phänomenta Lüdenscheid

BMW Museum Munich

German Röntgen Museum Remscheid

Rickmer Rickmers Museum Ship Hamburg

Tawern Roman Temple District

Spicy’s Spices Museum (Gewürzmuseum) Hamburg

LWL Open Air Museum Hagen

Esterwegen Concentration Camp Memorial

Pig Museum (SchweineMusuem) Stuttgart

Berlin Computer Games Museum

Natural History and Mammoth Museum Siegsdorf

Deutsches Museum Traffic Center (Verkehrszentrum)

Home of Ritter Sport – Art Museum & Chocolate

Automobile & Toy Museum North Sea (Norden, Germany)

Erwin Hymer Museum

German Packaging Museum (Heidelberg)

Fassberg Airlift Museum

Gasometer Oberhausen

House of German History (Haus der Geschichte) Bonn

Brewery Museum (Brauerei-Museum) Dortmund

Visiodrom Wuppertal

Porsche Museum Stuttgart

Lokwelt Freilassing

East Frisia Tea Museum (Norden)

German Spy Museum Berlin

The Berlin Tränenpalast (“Palace of Tears”)

Expo 2020 Dubai – The Sustainability District Pavilions

Wilhelmshaven Aquarium

Auto & Traktor Museum Bodensee (Lake Constance)

Madame Tussauds Berlin

German Oil Museum Wietze

Little Big City Berlin

“Hanse Steinreich” Exhibition at the European Hansa Museum

European Hansa Museum Lübeck

The Myth of Germania – A Berlin Underground Exhibition

Disgusting Food Museum Berlin

Leeraner Miniaturland (Leer Model Land)

Bud Spencer Museum Berlin

Hamburg Panoptikum

DIE MAUER – asisi Panorama Berlin

Papenburg Von-Velen-Anlage Open Air Museum

ESO Supernova Munich – Garching

Resistance Museum Amsterdam

German Customs Museum Hamburg

Red Dot Design Museum Essen

Nuremberg Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds

German Movie Museum Frankfurt

Cap San Diego Museum Ship Hamburg

German Food Additives Museum Hamburg

Meersburg Castle (Lake Constance)

Zeppelin Museum Zeppelinheim

Markus Wasmeier Open Air Museum

Munich Olympic Tower and Rockmuseum

rock’n’popmuseum Gronau

Munich White Rose / Weiße Rose Memorial Exhibition

Obersalzberg Documentation Center

Siku & Audi-Museum Höing (Stadtlohn, Germany)

Georg Breusing Rescue Cruiser Emden

Chocoversum by Hachez Hamburg

Museum Prototyp Hamburg

Visiting the Meyer Werft in Papenburg (Self-Guided Tour)

German Architecture Museum (Frankfurt)

Munich Toy Museum

Deutsches Museum Bonn

Chocolate Museum Cologne (Schokoladenmuseum)

Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen

German Central Bank Money Museum (Frankfurt)

Memorium Nuremberg Trials

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg

Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen

Pfahlbauten (Lake Dwelling) Unteruhldingen, Lake Constance

Zeppelin Museum Meersburg

Arithmeum Bonn – A Museum about Calculations

Historic Mustard Mill Cologne

Stars Of The Galaxy – A Star Wars Shrine in Mönchengladbach

Andernach Geyser

Flugausstellung Peter Junior (Hermeskeil)

German Blade Museum Solingen

The Scherz-Tour – A Different RheinEnergieSTADION Cologne Tour

Bergisch Historic Trams Wuppertal

GDR Museum (DDR Museum) Berlin

Museum Plagiarius Solingen – The Place for Copies

Lindlar Open Air Museum

Alte Dombach Paper Mill

Speyer Technology Museum

Ratingen-Cromford Textile Factory

The Eau de Cologne Giants – 4711 vs. Farina

Deutsches Museum – Flugwerft Schleissheim

Munich State Museum of Egyptian Art

History of Gaming in Cologne’s City Museum

It’s all about bread – Museum of Bread Culture Ulm

A Day at Sinsheim Technology Museum
German Artist Top Pick Albums
Here are media reviews of German artists, which I rated as Top Pick!

Alex Diehl – Das ist keine Übung

Collapse Unter The Empire – Recurring

Joe Leila – Breathing EP

Bellucci Boi – Lost in Berlin EP

Melanie Wiegmann & Carl Carlton – Glory of Love

Gregor McEwan – Going Solo

Philipp Artmann – Guten Morgen schönes Leben

Madsen – Hollywood

Ludwig Wright – Turn of Tides or Where the Waves Come From

Sasha – Toto und der Mann im Mond (music album)

Santans – Koi Boi EP

Fury in the Slaughterhouse – Hope

Tom Astor – Wieder da!

Pascal Blenke – Gedankenspiele

Sören Vogelsang – Optimismus Prime

Marathonmann – Maniac

Moor – Heavy Heart

Indecent Behavior – Therapy In Melody

Andreas Diehlmann Band – Long Way To Go

Sebel – Der Boxer

Philip Bradatsch – Philip Bradatsch

Storm Seeker – Nautic Force

Kati von Schwerin – Welcome Back Home

VIVA – Das ist die Wahrheit

Black Hawk – Soulkeeper

Sophia – Niemals Allein

Leony – Somewhere in Between

Wolfgang Petry – Stark wie wir

Lina – 24/1

AnnenMayKantereit – Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir

Helge Schneider – Torero

Tanzwut – Silberne Hochzeit

Malte Vief und Malte Viefs Kammer – Kammer III

The Legendary – Warlord

The Rehats – Heart & Mind

Sonic Wildhearts – Get It On

Groenalund – #lovestorm

Sündflut – Basta! EP

Nina Hagen – Unity

Boppin’ B – Saxbomb

Sarah Connor – Not So Silent Night

Tina Tandler – Songs for Saxophone

Wally – Alles halb so wild

Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society

Roland Kaiser – Perspektiven

Drei Meter Feldweg – Durak

Pete Wolf Band – Crosswalk To Nowhere EP

LustfingeR – LustfingeR

More Than Words – Today (Make Today Be the Best Day of Your Life)

The Cumberland River Project – A Smell of Gravy

Clara Louise – Enough Is Enough

Kasalla – Rudeldiere

Marius Müller-Westernhagen – Das eine Leben

Axel Rudi Pell – Lost XXIII

Ann Doka – House of Change

NANEE – Tausend Farben EP

Der To – Hand aufs Herz

Klaus Lage – Je wahrer die Liebe

Matthias Reim – MATTHIAS

Tristan Harders’ Twilight Theatre – Drifting Into Insanity

Johannes Scheurich – Mehr Davon

Emma Longard – Quieter Pt. 2 EP

Incredible Pack – Time For Decisions

Hämatom – Die Liebe ist Tot

Alex Diehl – Die Songs, die ich nie schreiben wollte EP

Dieter Hallervorden – 80 plus

Greyhound George Band – Get Up And Walk!

Michael Heppes – Achtung Leben

Running Wild – Blood on Blood

Santiano – Wenn die Kälte Kommt

Roland Kaiser – Weihnachtszeit

Paule – Wunderschön unperfekt

Wolfgang Petry – Auf das Leben

Peter Maffay – So Weit

Freakstorm – Storm Inside My Heart

Annie Chops – Level Up

Perlregen – Drei

Jolina Carl – Mexican Overdrive

Sarah Straub – Tacheles EP

Helge Schneider – Die Reaktion – The Last Jazz Vol. II

Razz – Might Delete Later EP

Helloween – Helloween

pez – All Lowercase EP

Karlie Apriori – Seelenpassagier EP

Anchors & Hearts – Guns Against Liberty

Noah Levi – Indigo EP

Kicker Dibs – Vagabund

Emma Longard – Quieter Pt. 1 EP

Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert Vol. 8

Durch & Durch – Nice Aber Nutzlos

Wincent Weiss – Vielleicht Irgendwann

Klee – Trotzalledem

Fury in the Slaughterhouse – now

Diane Weigmann – Die Wahrheit liegt irgendwo dazwischen

Blutengel – Fountain of Destiny

Bad Temper Joe – One Can Wreck It All

Nino de Angelo – Gesegnet und Verflucht

Sonor Teutonicus – Morgenrot

Sodom – Genesis XIX

Bläck Fööss – 5Ö

Saltatio Mortis – Für Immer Frei

Van de Forst – Unconditional

miu – Corona Tapes EP

U.D.O. & The German Armed Forces Concert Band – We Are One

The Cumberland River Project – The Cumberland River Project (Album Review)

Böhse Onkelz – Böhse Onkelz (2020 Album)

Heinz Rudolf Kunze – Der Wahrheit die Ehre

Pete Wolf Band – 2084 (Album Review)

Björn Heuser – Kopp voll Dräum (Nashville Recordings)

Kiddo Kat – Piece of Cake (Album Review)