Kid Stuff: Great Toys from Our Childhood

January 18-April 13, 2007

Have you ever wondered if Barbie has a last name? (It’s Roberts.) Or who invented Lincoln Logs? (John L. Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright.) Why a Wiffle Ball has holes? (To throw a curve without throwing out your arm.)

Remember when a Whoopee cushion was the funniest thing around, and Etch-a-Sketch was totally mesmerizing? If you do, revisit that era through Kid Stuff: Great Toys from Our Childhood at the Orange County Regional History Center from January 18th to April 13th. Filled with little-known facts about the creation and evolution of more than 40 timeless toys and games, this highly interactive exhibition features the most popular toys of the past 50 years.

Kid Stuff includes Tinker Toys, Mr. Potato Head, Radio Flyer wagon, the yo-yo, View-Master, Lego and many more, along with their original packaging and promotional materials. The toys on display are complemented by images, video and text that explore the toy’s invention, evolution and impact on culture. Visitors can interact with many toys in the exhibition, including racing Hot Wheels, contributing to a Colorforms “community mural,” playing Twister, and dressing up as Barbie or GI Joe.

Organized by the Berkshire Museum in Massachusetts in conjunction with David Hoffman, the author of the 1996 book that inspired the exhibition, Kid Stuff explores the history of each toy within the contexts of play and entertainment, invention and innovation, and social and industrial history.

The History Center will also present Video Stuff: Electronic Gaming Through the Years. This complementary exhibit will explore how advancements in technology created a whole new kind of play: video games. The exhibit will include significant games and offer a look “inside the box” to show dramatic changes in size vs. power, mark key developments in game and console technology, and illustrate the relevance and sociological influences of these “toys.”

During Kid Stuff, the museum will host a number of events, including an attempt to break the ?Guinness World Record for the most people yo-yo-ing simultaneously on Saturday, January 26th, and an adults-only Retro Game Night on Friday, March 14th. S

Orange County Regional History Center; 65 E. Central Boulevard, Orlando; 407.836.8500; thehistorycenter.org.