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The toy industry loves a good buzzword and lately the one I’ve been seeing is “kidult.” Kidult is usually used in reference to a specific target audience of adults who purchase toys. Generally, kidults get referenced about specific types of toys that have been increasingly popular with adults that buy toys for themselves, enough to significantly impact market trends. These often include higher end collectible toys, like Hasbro’s Black Series action figures or Barbie collector lines. They also include nostalgic […]

Continue Reading about Why I Hate the Term “Kidult” Published on:
August 31, 2023

By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
In October 2021, the National Archives of Game Show History began recording interviews for our Oral Histories series. Chatting with important figures from game shows past and picking their brains about their experiences, we have attempted to tell the rich story of game shows through the thoughts and memories of these very talented people.
In the month of September, we are honored to present one of our most extraordinary oral […]

Continue Reading about Success and Scandal: The Barry & Enright Story Published on:
August 30, 2023

Video games have transformed the way we play, and The Strong National Museum of Play has long been at the forefront of collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of gaming. Now, as part of a 90,000 sq. ft. museum expansion, guests have the opportunity to explore 24,000 sq. ft of new exhibits dedicated to video games. Among these new exhibits, ESL Digital Worlds: High Score provides guests with an unparalleled look at the historical and cultural significance of video games. […]

Continue Reading about Welcome to ESL Digital Worlds: High Score Published on:
August 18, 2023

Where we play often determines how we play. This fact is often forgotten when we look at the history of play, whether that’s in a monograph or a museum collection. Place shapes play.
Let’s consider this historically. For most of human history, living quarters were nasty, brutish, and cramped. There was little room for interior play in a dark, dirty hovel, unless that play was fairly confined. In a northern climate like Iceland in the Middle Ages, that might mean playing […]

Continue Reading about A Place for Play Published on:
August 3, 2023

By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
There’s still some time left to get some summer reading done. BearManor Media, which specializes in pop culture titles, has just released two ebook adaptations of biographies of game show legends.
Okay? Okay! Dennis James’ Lifetime of Firsts chronicles the unique life and career of Dennis James, a prolific broadcaster best known as a game show host, with credits including Haggis Baggis, PDQ, and Name That Tune. Although primarily known […]

Continue Reading about Get the Full Story on Two Game Show Legends Published on:
July 26, 2023

We’ve all heard the quotation, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Often misattributed to artist Andy Warhol (when in fact it was devised by two Swedish museum professionals preparing for a Warhol exhibition), the notion of “15 minutes of fame” has permeated popular culture for more than half a century. These days, just about anyone can be famous, even for a little while. So, how would the average person go about achieving their “15 minutes?” You […]

Continue Reading about Game Show Legends: Bernard and Claire Boiko Published on:
July 14, 2023

Hip hop celebrates its 50th anniversary in August of 2023, and The Strong National Museum of Play is poppin’ and lockin’ into position to show our appreciation. Originating with the technique that DJ Kool Herc called “The Merry-Go-Round,” hip hop toyed with the time signatures of contemporary funk hits by extending the drummer’s solo on dance albums. In turn, hip hop crafted a borderless sonic landscape and established a new playground for innovation. Utilizing two turntables and a mixer, DJ […]

Continue Reading about Indelibly Marked: Crayons, Records, and Grandmaster Flash Published on:
July 7, 2023

By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
As you’re strolling through The Strong’s new Hasbro Game Park, you’ll see a 14-foot-long replica of the Scottie dog token from the classic Monopoly board game. A short walk away, there’s a 9 ½-foot long replica of the race car token. There’s also a 7-foot-tall hotel and a 6 ½-foot house. There’s even a Get Out of Jail Free area, bars included.
If you’ve ever played Monopoly, it’s only natural […]

Continue Reading about Monopoly: From Board Game to Prime Time TV Published on:
July 6, 2023

I was in high school when I first played the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Final Fantasy XI. I was one of the early North American players, importing the PC version from Japan prior to the release of the first expansion pack, Rise of the Zilart, as it wasn’t clear when, if ever, the game would come to the United States. There was a solid English-speaking community on the Ragnarok server, and I never got terribly far in the game […]

Continue Reading about Reflections on Vana’diel: Memories of Final Fantasy XI Published on:
June 21, 2023