Last week in this space we shared a visit to the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden in Rochester. But that wonderful space is only one small spot in the Strong National Museum of Play.
Some of us can remember the “old” Strong Museum, showcasing the collections of Margaret Woodbury Strong. Not as aggressive as a hoarder, but not as discriminating as a collector, we might call Mrs. Strong a gatherer, or an accumulator. Chests of buttons… apparently not selected by any criteria beyond availability… formed part of the collection. Another was an impressive array of dollhouses, many from the 19th century.
I’d imagine that these dollhouses underlay an extremely fruitful shift of mission – to emphasize and build on the playthings in Mrs. Strong’s collection, and become the Strong Museum of Play.
Mission accomplished. From the museum’s largest artifact (a working 1918 Herschell carousel, built in North Tonawanda) down to the tiniest Star Wars figurine, the Strong celebrates play throughout the ages of time and the stages of childhood.
Some of it is under glass, such as the Star Wars figurines. But you can ride the carousel. You can have lunch in the Skyliner, an original manufactured diner moved into the museum. Kids can “shop” at a miniature Wegman’s supermarket.
You can walk right into Sesame Street. This full-sized reproduction of the TV series set is wildly popular, and at certain spots you can even see yourself, in Sesame Street, on the TV monitor.
Special exhibits come and go. On the Fourth of July Joyce and I turned time backward in its flight at a huge (and busy!) exhibit of pinball machines and beach arcade games. Except for salt air and seagulls, we might have been back in southern New England at Rocky Point or Misquamicut or Ocean Beach. There was even a large sandbox for the kids.
As a lifelong comic-book fan I enjoyed the gallery on American Comic Book Heroes. As a children’s librarian, Joyce explored the Berenstain Bears gallery. While Strong Museum includes many commercial games and playthings, it also emphasizes imaginative play and recreational reading. The Rochester Public Library system even has a mini-branch welcoming children at the Strong.
Strong is home to the National Toy Hall of Fame, which enjoys a large space on the second level. Here you can refresh your acquaintance with proprietary products such as Barbie, G.I. Joe, Monopoly, and the Hula Hoop – but also with jacks, the rubber ball, the stick, and even the cardboard box. While the first level is mostly hands-on, in the second level are also setpiece exhibits reminiscent of the old museum, including glass cases filled with dollhouses, and a space tracking American playthings decade by decade. Find YOUR childhood decade, and see what you remember!
One way to illustrate the impact of Strong Museum is to say that a decade or so back Joyce and I were heading to the Strong to do a story for Touring New York. When our sons heard we were going, they both begged to come. But we told the younger one he had to get to his classes at C.C.C., and the older one that he had to go to work. Even so, we’ve taken them both since.

The amazing Spider-Me… at play in the Strong Museum.