The Strong Museum of Play
Rochester, New York
I haven’t had this much
youthful fun since I actually was a youth. The museum began life as a monetary
and collection donation from philanthropist Margaret Woodbury Strong in 1969.
It has grown since then, an understatement if ever there was one. These days we
are talking mega big–as in 13.5 acres and over 285,000 square feet of
buildings. It’s been so successful that new parking garages and exhibition
spaces are in the works that will double the existing size.
It is as advertised, a
museum devoted to how Americans, especially children, have played. You name it
and it’s there. First of all, it houses both the National Toy Hall of Fame and the National Video Game Hall of Fame. They work like any other Hall of
Fame, which is to say there are committees whose members mull over nominations
and vote on which toys are worthy of inclusion. You can find the complete list
online and you’ll notice it includes everything from Barbie to Mr. Potato Head,
the Teddy Bear, Checkers, Big Wheels, Silly Putty, and the cardboard box. All
of the winners are displayed in cases within the Hall of Fame area. There’s a
separate hall for video games, plus the International
Center for the History of Electronic Games.
As the saying goes, but
wait, there’s more. There’s also a butterfly garden, an exhibit devoted to D.C. Superheroes, and archives should
you tire of fun and decide you positively must do academic research! Okay, I’m
being snarky on the last one. Actually, this place takes play seriously and
even publishes the Journal of Play.
And why not? Why on earth should work be treated more seriously than play and
recreation–especially in a postindustrial city? If you want to get philosophical,
in a saner society the very point of work would be to secure time and resources
to play.
If my previous comment strikes
you as trite or naïve, reserve judgment until you’ve strolled among the cases
of America at Play. It is the heart
of the museum. It is a time capsule of how Americans have entertained
themselves from time immemorial. You cannot help overhearing remarks such as,
“I had that toy!” and “Oh my, I haven’t thought about that game for years.”
Chances are good you will be among those making such exclamations. It’s all
there: board games, improvised toys, dolls, sporting goods, model airplanes,
novelty banks, sleds, bicycles, and so on. I instantly time warped upon seeing
Lionel trains, Operation, and Rock 'em Sock 'em robots. There are more than
half a million items overall, including fads that soared like the Hula Hoop and
those that bombed such as the oh-so-lame attempt at making an electric football
game. The goal of the last, insofar I could ever determine, was to waste time
lining up 11 players on each side, flipping a switch that made the board
vibrate, and watching the figures fall over. On the other hand, I saw a
medieval knights and castle set that I had when I was in first grade that
sparked my earliest love of history.
The Strong is also loaded
with interactive kiosks and oversized sites where you can do activities such as
engage a Rube Goldberg machine, play Twister, send Hot Wheels down a chute and
maze, or allow a large Etch-a-Sketch to draw your profile. It’s not just
children who squeal with delight at these attractions. If anything, adults need
to be self-disciplined enough not to bogart the play stations.
Some might be bothered by
the overt commercialism on display at the Strong. The most distressing of these
is a Wegman’s where youngsters push carts through aisles and place plastic
groceries in a cart before “checking out” and getting their “bill.” This one
raised my hackles, but I lowered them while perambulating the America at Play
section. The truth is that play has long been commercialized, as you can see in
board games that were gendered and class-based. “The Dating Game” should have
made Phyllis Schlafly into a feminist, but there have long been games that
subtly indoctrinated some children to become tycoons and others to pursue a
career as an office boy.
But enough of that. As I
remarked to my wife and my friend Tim several times while smiling and laughing
my way through the Strong: “It’s impossible to be cynical about this place.” If
I’m wrong about that, I shall insist that I don’t know you!
If you want to see more images from
this museum, go to the photo file marked "Gems from the Strong Museum"
Rob Weir
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