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Creature Comforts: Toys that Soothe
The National Toy Hall of Fame hasn’t embraced cuddly toys in a couple of years.
View ArticleThe Dolls that Haunt Us: 50 Years of Terrifying Toys
Autumn is upon us, replete with all things paranormal and pumpkin spice. Hollywood once again offers us an opportunity to be terrified for the cost of a movie ticket and large popcorn. Annabelle...
View ArticleOur Furry Friends
What comes to mind when you hear the word “animal”? Do you envision farm animals, your pet at home, or something a bit more wild? Perhaps you even think of a Muppet or two. Either way, it’s hard to...
View ArticleFour Dolls, Three Bears, Two Bunnies, and One Plastic Guy: Books about Play Pals
As Director of Libraries at The Strong, I acquire scholarly books on the study of play for the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play.
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YOU and YOU ALONE: The Story of the Choose Your Own Adventure Generation
WARNING!!!!Do not read this book straight through from beginning to end! These pages contain many different adventures you can go on…. The adventures you take are a result of your choice. You are...
View ArticleRandom Knowledge: Brain Games
“All right, play time is over; it’s time to get your head in the game,” my friend Lauren sternly implores our team. We’ve been through six rounds. By our calculations, we must only be behind our chief...
View ArticleNancy Drew and the Case of the Girl Gamers
Recently, debates about women and video games have been making the rounds. The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and the Colbert Report, for instance, have drawn attention to what it can be like for women...
View ArticleThrough the Artist’s Eyes
My love of movable books and of antique toys and games containing the richly colored chromolithographs of the last half of the 1800s brought me to The Strong’s Online Collections. I spent four days...
View ArticleThe Myth of the Magical Summer: The Tropes, Transformations, and Transitions...
“Summer just opens the door and lets you out." Deb Caletti, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart The front of a school building shimmers in the sun. A loud bell rings. The doors burst open and a flood of children...
View ArticleAn Expansion Pack for A History of Video Games in 64 Objects
In our new book from the World Video Game Hall of Fame, A History of Video Games in 64 Objects, we faced a challenge. Which objects should we include? The Strong museum, home of the World Video Game...
View ArticleNot Just Fan Fiction: The Allen Hammack D&D Collection
My first library card was a small rectangle made of royal blue cardstock, with the handwritten number “9555” in the top right corner. This very valuable document allowed me to check out up to six items...
View ArticleWhich Came First—The Comic or the Toy?
Since their inception in the early 20th century, comic books have been synonymous with American youth and playfulness. The colorful, action-packed stories in the pages of comics translated into...
View ArticleFootball: Redemption through Violence
Every fall, across the United States, young men strap on helmets, crowds gather to cheer, and players smash into each other on the gridiron. Football is one of the country’s favorite pastimes, and...
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