Let’s talk about cryptids. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a cryptid is “a creature that is found in stories and that some people believe exists or say they have seen, but that has never been proven to exist.” What are you thinking of? Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Jersey Devil? These big names are the celebrities of cryptids, but I think there is a subset of cryptids lurking right within our own homes. Though we’d probably never define them […]

Continue Reading about Household Cryptids: Infiltrators or Celebrated Guests? Published on:
August 22, 2024

As a museum of play, one of the largest segments of The Strong’s collection is toys. Of our more than 300,000 museum objects (not including the additional 235,000 items in our library and archives), approximately 178,000 objects are either toys, games, miniatures, electronic games, or dolls. Play itself is an activity or experience, not an object, so when collecting around play, playthings are often the most directly related physical manifestation of play. That being said, not all play involves a […]

Continue Reading about Preserving Play: Beyond Toys Published on:
June 21, 2024

I was walking through the museum recently and passed the table of Mr. Potato Head toys, an area that has always been popular with guests. It was then that I unexpectedly heard a young child exclaim, “Mr. Tomato Head!” At first, I couldn’t stop laughing. I’m not sure if it’s my strange sense of humor, the idea of a dollar store knock-off called “Mr. Tomato Head,” or the image that formed of a family of vegetables with faces à la […]

Continue Reading about Why Stop at Potatoes? Published on:
December 15, 2023

If you want to be guaranteed a lively conversation, bring up the Ouija board. This polarizing talking board has been around since the late 19th century and still manages to divide people on a number of fronts. Do they truly work? Are they dangerous? Are they a scam? However, the question provoked by its context at The Strong is: Is it a toy?

The earliest Ouija boards were produced from a wooden board marked with the letters of the alphabet, numbers, […]

Continue Reading about The Contentious Ouija Board: Is It a Toy? Published on:
October 20, 2023

The toy industry loves a good buzzword and lately the one I’ve been seeing is “kidult.” Kidult is usually used in reference to a specific target audience of adults who purchase toys. Generally, kidults get referenced about specific types of toys that have been increasingly popular with adults that buy toys for themselves, enough to significantly impact market trends. These often include higher end collectible toys, like Hasbro’s Black Series action figures or Barbie collector lines. They also include nostalgic […]

Continue Reading about Why I Hate the Term “Kidult” Published on:
August 31, 2023

One of the joys of working in a museum collection is seeing the variety of objects that come into the museum. In 2022, my weekly round of photography brought me in contact with a mix of Pokémon plush figures. But photographing some classic Pokémon wasn’t my only interaction with the franchise. I spent February 2022 exploring the open world of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. In December, I completed my Pokédex in Pokémon Scarlet. I continued to procrastinate on several planned Pokémon […]

Continue Reading about Just Call Me Ash Ketchum Published on:
May 15, 2023