Browse Exhibits (22 total)
Star Wars
Star Wars Description
Beyond Blonde: Barbie's Evolution Towards Inclusivity
Join Beyond Blonde on a journey through Barbie's history and evolution through inclusivity. Watch as Barbie and Friends goes to a diverse group of dolls under one namesake.
Through the journey, notice name shifts and shifts in dolls' features and clothing. Watch as Barbie not only becomes more inclusive but becomes more modernized.
Watch the brand grow into a face for all children to find themselves and their path through play.
Webkinz: the real life and digital pets
In this exhibit, it will explore the physical and virtual toy of Webkinz and how it shapes two generations of kids.
The Birth and Death of the DS
The Nintendo DS was released in 2004, around the same time that many other technological advancements were being made, such as the iPod and flip phones with cameras. However, the Nintendo DS was different. It was a handheld device like its predecessor, the Gameboy SP, which added to its appeal compared to the huge arcade consoles that children would play games on in arcades for quarters. But what is the difference between the Nintendo DS and its competitors/predecessors? That is what this exhibit attempts to display.
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy Bake Oven is an electric occupational toy made for kids who like to bake, something to bake with. With the oven, kids can bake cookies, cupcakes, cakes, pretzels, pizzas, and much more.The Easy Bake Oven comes with the oven itself, a metal pan, and a flat spatula that you use to push the pan into the oven onto the conveyor belt. The Easy Bake Oven is a dome shaped oven with low energy LED lights inside. In order for the food to bake, the metal dish is pushed onto a conveyor belt with the spatula. The Oven comes in many colors and designs and includes an on/off switch and a clock on the outside.
Mirrors of the Past: Paper Dolls
Mirrors of the Past: Paper Dolls will review the evolution of paper dolls, as well as their impact on society, through the ages. Paper dolls were originally intended for adult men's and women's entertainment. Their origins are found in fashion plates and collector's cards. Similar to dolls, once the adult was finished with the paper doll, it would be passed on to the children. Paper dolls were also an affordable and creative alternative to dolls for children. The first mass-produced paper doll, called "Fanny Gray", was printed by the Nichols Company in 1854. Most paper dolls are made out of simple paper or cardboard and sometimes it is laminated to give the doll more durability. From humble beginnings and illustrating domestic ideals of the previous generations to elaborate art pieces representing celebrities, minority stereotypes, and different careers, paper dolls have developed tremendously with the times. Paper dolls mirror the time era they were created in.
Mirrors of the Past: Paper Dolls will include four main displays: "Godey's Lady's Book", "Wilbur's Cocoa "Over the Top" Collector's Cards", "Shirley Temple Paper Dolls", and "Tom Tierney - American Family Paper Dolls".
LEGO Throughout Time
In 1932, a man named Ole Kirk Kristiansen began making wooden toys in his workshop in Billund, Denmark. Two years later, he named his company LEGO, a combination of two Danish words, meaning “play well”. He created the LEGO Building Block, an element three plates or more thick, rectangular in shape, with at least one stud on top. LEGO studs are tiny round dots on a brick that can peg into other bricks to make them stack or connect. The bricks are made from hard plastic that is scratch resistant and designed optimally for achieving the perfect clutch. Popular since the 1950s, LEGO does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The bricks offer limitless building possibilities for the creative soul. The ultimate purpose of LEGO is to inspire and develop children to think creatively, reason systematically, and release their potential to shape their own future.
Monster High: Over a Decade of Gore-geous Ghouls
Monster High is an ongoing fashion doll line that was released in 2010 by Mattel. The line produced dolls from 2010-2018, took a break in 2019, then began releasing dolls again from 2020- present.
The line blends horror aesthetics with fashion, expressed through the teenage children of iconic monsters and mythological creatures. Monster High has had two major taglines over the years "Where freaky just got fabulous" and "be yourself. be unique. be a monster". Some of the major messages of the line are self-acceptance, acceptance of others, and self-expression.
The exhibit will focus on four specific Monster High doll lines: the original line in 2010, the second wave in 2011, the Boo-riginal Creeproduction line in 2022, and the generation 3 line in 2022. The exhibit will show three characters across these lines. These characters will be: Draculaura (the daughter of Dracula), Frankie Stein (the child of Frankenstein's Monster), and Lagoona Blue (the daughter of the Sea Monster).
Beyblade: A History of the Japanese Battle Top Brand
Since 1999, the Japanese battle top toy line Beyblade has been a staple of adolescent entertainment in Japan and internationally. The series has gained notoriety not only through its constantly evolving tops, which have seen changes to their materials and functionality over the decades, but also through its encompassing franchise which spans multiple seasons of anime, manga, video games, and even international competitions. This exhibit will provide a chronological history of Beyblades from this inspiration to their latest incarnation.