Jonah Patel
The Strong National Museum of Play, also known as The Strong, is a highly interactive museum in Rochester, New York, devoted to the history and exploration of play. It is home to the world's most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, board games, video games, and other historical materials related to play. The museum offers a dynamic and educational experience for all ages, with nearly 150,000 square feet of interactive exhibit space. The Strong's collection includes various toys, from traditional dolls and board games to modern video games and electronic devices, showcasing the evolution of play over time. The museum also features exhibits that interpret key elements of play and allows visitors to explore immersive themes related to video games, storybooks, television shows, and more.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | The Strong National Museum of Play |
| Other Names | The Strong Museum, The Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum of Fascination, The Strong |
| Location | Rochester, New York, United States |
| Year of Establishment | 1969 |
| Year of Opening to Public | 1982 |
| Founder | Margaret Woodbury Strong |
| Collection | Toys, dolls, board games, video games, other electronic games, books, documents, and other historical materials related to play |
| Area | 282,000 square feet |
| Exhibits | War Toys: Ukraine, Sesame Street, The Berenstains, eGameRevolution, National Toy Hall of Fame, World Video Game Hall of Fame, Hasbro Game, Skyline Climb, Wegmans Super Kids Market, Play Lab, Tie Dye, Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden, American comic book superheroes, and more |
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What You'll Learn
Dolls, toys, and decorative arts
The Strong National Museum of Play, also known as The Strong, is an interactive, collections-based educational institution in Rochester, New York, devoted to the study and exploration of play. It was founded by Margaret Woodbury Strong in 1968 as the "Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum of Fascination". The museum opened to the public in 1982, after several years of planning, cataloguing, and exhibition development for the museum's new building in downtown Rochester.
The museum's namesake, Margaret Woodbury Strong, was born in 1897 and travelled widely as a child, catching the collecting bug from her parents. By the 1960s, her collection of dolls, toys, and other household objects numbered about 27,000. She added two wings to her mansion to accommodate the growing collection and even covered her swimming pool to use as a vault for some of the overflow objects. After her death in 1969, her money and collection went towards founding a larger museum.
The Strong is home to the world's most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, board games, video games, other electronic games, books, documents, and other historical materials related to play. The museum includes immersive exhibits themed to video games, storybooks, television shows, education, nature, history, comic books, carousel and train rides, and children's lifestyles. The Strong also houses the National Toy Hall of Fame, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play.
The Strong provides entertaining, educational, and unforgettable intergenerational fun with nearly 150,000 square feet of dynamic, interactive exhibit space. Children can seek out the Play Lab, Skyline Climb, and Wegmans Super Kids Market, all of which require balance, challenge their motor skills, and test their navigational aptitude. Adults, meanwhile, can gain context and historical background from exhibits on board games, building blocks, video games, dolls, toy cars and farms, and model trains.
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Video games and electronic games
The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, is devoted to the history and exploration of play. It is one of the largest history museums in the United States and is highly interactive, with exhibits themed to video games, storybooks, television shows, nature, history, and more. The museum is home to the International Centre for the History of Electronic Games, the National Toy Hall of Fame, and the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
The Strong owns and cares for the world's most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, board games, video games, and other electronic games. Its collection includes more than 3,000 pieces of original concept and final arcade cabinet artwork, hand-drawn assembly design sketches, storyboards, photographs, and print advertising proofs. It also has hundreds of original art kits and production films for Atari arcade video game cabinets, nearly 2,800 videos of game demos, television commercials, and industry show presentations, as well as arcade game source code and promotional materials.
The Atari Coin-Op Division Corporate Records collection includes dozens of binders chronicling the production of Atari coin-operated games from 1972 to 1999, extensive corporate records documenting game brainstorming sessions, industry and market research, and player game evaluations, as well as company newsletters and technical documentation.
The museum's International Centre for the History of Electronic Games has more than 60,000 video game-related artefacts and over 1,000 linear feet of physical archival records, including design documents, marketing materials, presentations, photographs, and more. The Toys for Bob collection, for example, holds video oral history interviews with staff members and original documentation related to the development and production of character figures for Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (2011).
The Strong's trade catalog collection features more than 46,000 catalogues from well-known toy companies such as Atari, Hasbro, Mattel, and Fisher-Price, as well as smaller toy firms from the 20th century.
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Board games and building blocks
The Strong National Museum of Play, also known as The Strong, is an interactive, collections-based educational institution in Rochester, New York, United States. It is devoted to the history and exploration of play and houses one of the world's largest collections of toys, dolls, and board and video games.
The museum's exhibits are themed around video games, storybooks, television shows, education, nature, history, comic books, carousel and train rides, and children's lifestyles. The Strong owns and cares for the world's most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, board games, video games, and other historical materials related to play.
Board games are a significant part of the museum's collection. Visitors can explore the history of popular board games, such as Monopoly, and learn about the designers and creators who have shaped the world of board games. The museum also showcases the evolution of board games, from classic favourites to modern innovations.
Building blocks, as a classic toy, are also likely to be featured in the museum's collection. While there is no explicit mention of building blocks, the museum's focus on toys that encourage creativity, imagination, and construction aligns with the nature of building blocks as a toy. The Strong's collection includes objects that children can use to create and build, fostering their creativity and fine motor skills.
The Strong National Museum of Play is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of play, and its collection of board games and building blocks are integral to this mission. These toys represent the imaginative and creative aspects of play, providing educational and entertainment value for children and adults alike.
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Books, comics, and storybooks
The Strong National Museum of Play is home to the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, which holds a variety of primary and secondary resources, including scholarly works, popular and children's books, professional journals, periodicals, trade catalogues, comics, manuscripts, game design materials, personal papers, and business records. The Strong's trade catalogue collection includes catalogues from well-known toy companies such as Hasbro, Mattel, and Fisher-Price, as well as smaller toy firms. The Strong also collects and preserves documents and other materials related to play, including design documents, personal papers, periodicals, books, comic books, and archival materials.
The Strong's exhibits are themed around storybooks, comic books, television shows, education, nature, history, carousel and train rides, and children's lifestyles. The museum also interprets and exhibits the history of toys, reflecting on how the development of toys has changed over time, including the emergence of toys related to solitary pursuits that might lead to careers in industry, technology, and the sciences.
The Strong's collection of mechanized toys, for example, includes a Li’l Abner set of musicians, which was based on a popular comic strip by Al Capp and manufactured in the United States and Japan in the late 1940s and 1950s. This collection showcases the evolution of toys made from tin plate to the more elaborate painted metal and iron toys of earlier times.
The Strong also offers interactive experiences for children, such as hearing children's stories read aloud and participating in literary adventures. These experiences bring books and storybooks to life, creating an engaging and immersive environment for children to explore.
Overall, The Strong National Museum of Play recognises the importance of books, comics, and storybooks in the world of play. It collects, preserves, and showcases these items alongside toys and games, providing a comprehensive exploration of play and its history.
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Trains, cars, and farms
The Strong National Museum of Play is a highly interactive, collections-based museum devoted to the history and exploration of play. It owns and cares for the world's most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, board games, video games, other electronic games, books, documents, and other historical materials related to play. The museum is the ultimate play destination for all ages, with nearly 150,000 square feet of dynamic, interactive exhibit space.
The museum has various vehicles on display, including cars, that help visitors understand how people move from one place to another. While the museum does not explicitly mention the types of cars on display, reviews of the museum mention the presence of a wide range of cars, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bugattis, and VW camper vans.
The Strong Museum also features exhibits on toy cars and farms, and model trains. While the museum does not provide specific details about the types of farms included in its exhibits, it does mention that its collection includes toys, dolls, board games, video games, and other historical materials related to play. The museum also offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the collections not on view, which are kept in cold storage and flexible storage shelves. These include train sets and other toys that emit gases and require special storage with an exhaust apparatus for off-gassing.
The Strong Museum's collection of toys, games, and vehicles reflects the history of play and provides educational and entertaining experiences for visitors of all ages. The museum's exhibits on toy cars, farms, and model trains offer a glimpse into the past and how play has evolved over time.
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Frequently asked questions
The Strong National Museum of Play exhibits a wide range of toys, including dolls, board games, video games, electronic games, building blocks, toy cars, and farms.
The museum was founded by Margaret Woodbury Strong in 1968 as the "Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum of Fascination." After her death in 1969, the museum inherited her estate and collection of dolls, toys, and other everyday objects. It moved to a new building in downtown Rochester in 1982 and opened its doors to the public.
The Strong National Museum of Play features several unique exhibits, including the National Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, and the War Toys: Ukraine exhibit.
The Strong National Museum of Play is devoted to the study and exploration of play. It aims to interpret the key elements of play and provide an interactive and educational experience for guests of all ages.
