Strong Museum is pleased to announce that Ty, Inc. has donated 723 Beanie Babies to the museum, including examples of approximately half of Ty, Inc.’s production list of the plush toys. A public display of about 200 of the lovable critters can now be found on view among the cases of dolls, dollhouses, miniatures, and vintage toys at Strong Museum.
Says Strong Museum curator Patricia Hogan, “This gift of Beanie Babies is a terrific collection for Strong Museum because these figures so nicely demonstrate the satisfactions, pleasures, and delights of collecting. And because Beanies were made adorable, cuddly, and affordable, kids took to acquiring, classifying, and organizing them with passions that rivaled those of much older, adult collectors. Beanies made dedicated collectors out of youngsters as few collectibles could.”
“We are so proud to have a collection of our Beanie Babies on display at Strong Museum,” says Ty, Inc. President and CEO Ty Warner. “Over the years, Strong Museum has been a wonderful place for children and families to learn and play, and to be included there is a tremendous honor for all of us at Ty.”
At Strong Museum, play is the thing! Strong Museum is the only museum in the world specifically devoted to the study of play as it illuminates American popular culture. Kids and families play to learn in whimsical, interactive exhibits where they can step onto Sesame Street, run a kid-sized supermarket, and marvel at extraordinary collections including miniatures, dollhouses, advertisements, home crafts and souvenirs, and the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of toys and dolls. Here you will also find the National Toy Hall of Fame®, which annually inducts toys that have achieved longevity and national significance in the world of play and imagination. (To view the honored toys or nominate your own favorite toys for inclusion into the hall, visit www.strongmuseum.org)
According to Hogan, Strong Museum continues to research and document toy history through its active acquisitions program. The museum expands and updates its toy-related collections through donations and selected purchases of toys, toy collections, and toy prototypes as well as toy advertisements, records and sales materials from individual donors, toy manufacturers and toy wholesalers large and small.
On July 14, 2006, Strong Museum will open a major expansion that will nearly double its size, making it the second largest children’s museum in the U.S. Guests will enjoy an expanded and enhanced National Toy Hall of Fame®; an ambitious 12,000-square-foot exhibit that invites you to step into five literary landscapes from popular children’s literature; and an exhibit on play that features a multimedia theater experience, a gigantic walk-through kaleidoscope, a kid-powered kinetic sculpture, and other play stations that demonstrate the importance of play in learning and creativity. The expanded Strong Museum will also include the first and only butterfly garden in Upstate New York.
For information about Strong Museum visit http://www.strongmuseum.org
