Online Exhibits

Online

Troubles, Triumphs, and Trivia: 13 Games about Black History

Discover these 13 games that taught Black history through play.

Online

“We Are You”: How Yla Eason’s Olmec Toys Reshaped the Multicultural Toy Market

Explore how Yla Eason, a Black mother and Harvard-trained businesswoman, built a company that challenged the toy industry’s standards for multicultural representation.

Short-Term

100 Years of Madame Alexander

Celebrate the legacy of Madame Beatrice Alexander, who founded the Madame Alexander Doll Company in 1923, at a new display on the museum’s first floor. Learn how Alexander changed the toy and doll industries and grew her company into a leading doll manufacturer. Follow the evolution of the brand from the Great Depression to today and see more than 30 dolls from across the decades, including a cloth Alice in Wonderland doll, a Jacqueline Kennedy doll, pioneering fashion doll Cissy, classic […]

Short-Term

Raceway Arcade

Play your way through the history of electronic driving games and experience America’s long fascination with the need for speed at the original Raceway Arcade.  Start your engine and zip through the evolution of driving games in this highly interactive and artifact-rich exhibit designed for racing enthusiasts of all ages. Challenge friends to the two-player Daytona USA (1994), three-player Super Sprint (1986), and the two-player favorite Mario Kart Arcade GP2 (2007). Be the first to the finish line in arcade classics such as Out Run (1987) and Cruis’n USA (1994). Grab the wheel in the modern favorite Cruisin’ Blast (2017). View pioneering racing games from The […]

Online

That’s Just How We Roll: A History of the International Gay Bowling Organization

Gay and lesbian bowlers seeking fellowship and fun formed the International Gay Bowling Organization in 1980. Decades later, it is the largest LGBTQ+ sports association anywhere.

Online

Jerry Lawson: The Black Engineer and Entrepreneur Who Changed Video Games

Gerald “Jerry” Lawson changed the way we play by leading the creation of the video game cartridge and founding game developer company Video Soft.

Permanent

Play Lab

Invent, construct, and create in The Strong’s 800-square-foot Play Lab on the museum’s first floor (near the Field of Play exhibit). Unlock the educational power of play and enter a playful maker space with daily programming based around monthly themes. Every month be introduced to a new topic of inquiry such as printmaking, sound, and circuitry. Gain scaffolding assistance from museum staff and guest creators. Experiment with related tools and equipment such as looms, saws, and Oculus. Take time to create, […]

Online

Is that a Jumeau?

A century before Mattel’s Barbie graced miniature runways, the dollmaker Jumeau provided girls with stylish play companions that showcased French couture and innovation.

Permanent

Skyline Climb

Are you ready for the challenge? Jump into the realm of adventure play at The Strong’s all-new high ropes course—Skyline Climb. Suspended above the museum’s carousel atrium, adults and kids alike can traverse beams and balance obstacles, maneuver ropes and wobbly bridges, and leap off a zipline platform. Built by RCI Adventure Products, Skyline Climb consists of two courses geared towards different sizes and skill levels—the Low-Rise Course Powered by M&T Bank for guests below 48 inches in height and the High-Rise for guests 48 […]

Online

Video Game History Timeline

Explore the history of video games, understand how the industry began and evolved, and discover the impact that electronic games have had on how people play, learn, and connect with each other. See the video game timeline.

Permanent

Toy Halls of Fame

Experience the cutting-edge Toy Halls of Fame exhibit and go hands-on with iconic toys beloved by generations—and the people who changed how we play. Displays featuring The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame inductees pair with displays highlighting toy industry luminaries recognized by the Toy Association’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame. National Toy Hall of Fame Climb the dramatic exhibit staircase and view a gallery of 21 portraits of classic toys, some that move and interact with guests in humorous ways. Marvel at a […]

Online

Ten Sports Video Games that Changed the Digital Playing Field

Sports video games empower us to play as our favorite athletes, compete against our friends, and defeat our opponents with gravity-defying dunks, 90-yard touchdown sprints, and other fantastic feats most of us can only dream of.

Online

Five Board Games that Changed Play

Over the last 200 years, board games have brought us together with delightful new forms of play that entertain, educate, and (occasionally) exasperate us.

Online

Beyond the Oregon Trail: Six PC Franchises that Helped Us Learn

Whether blasting through math equations or enabling a hunt for crooks across the globe, these six game franchises combined education and entertainment to make learning subjects like algebra and geography fun.

Online

Ten Iconic Balls that Made Play Shake, Bounce, and Roll

Imagine play without the ball. It’s impossible.

Online

Making Monopoly: A History of the Origins of America’s Favorite Board Game

Everyone knows the goal of Monopoly. Dominate industry, control property, maximize profit, and drive competitors to bankruptcy. But few realize that Monopoly evolved from an earlier ANTI-capitalist game.

Online

A Brief History of Women in Gaming: The 1980s

From the assembly line to the marketing department, women have shaped the game industry through hard work, creative coding, artistic imagination, and business savvy.

Online

Margaret Woodbury Strong and the Making of The Strong National Museum of Play

Margaret’s passions for collecting and play laid the groundwork for what would become the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play.

Online

World of War Games: A History of Wargaming

Beginning in the late 1990s, the Cyprus-based Wargaming Group Limited established itself as a developer of military strategy games.

Online

Composing Classics: A History of Video Game Music

Music sets the tone for video games.

Online

Early Home Video Game History: Making Television Play

Video games first entered the home in the early 1970s as inventors, programmers, and designers developed new ways to play with a television.

Online

A History of Shindana Toys: Dolls and Games with a Difference

The history of Shindana—Swahili for “compete”—is a story of empowerment, civil rights, and community uplift.

Online

Aliens and Monsters: Playing with Creatures from the Deep

Imagination transports us to fabulous realms where aliens and monsters live to guide us or threaten us.

Online

Playing with Politics

Satirists, toymakers, game designers—propagandists of all stripes—reveled in playing with politics and with politicians’ images.

Online

American Board and Card Game History

This exhibit represents some of the most popular games and historically significant moments in American game history.

Online

The Oregon Trail, MECC, and the Rise of Computer Learning

Starting in the 1970s, the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) led the world in giving computer access to large numbers of schoolchildren.

Online

How We Ride: A History of Play on Two Wheels

Drawing from artifacts in the collections of The Strong, this exhibit tours bicycling history.

Online

The Heart of the Matter: A History of Valentine Cards

This exhibit explores how these greetings playfully mixed flirtation and romance with humor that has ranged from whimsical to biting.

Online

Pinball in America

This timeline explores key moments in pinball history.

Short-Term

Material Girl

Inside the Closet of America’s Favorite Doll Examples from the 1960s, such as Twist ‘n Turn Barbie, Sophisticated Lady, and Little Bow Pink, that showcase Barbie’s early style and elegance Versions from the 1970s, from Silver Blues to Roller Skating Barbie, that reflect the loosening of the dress code and the counterculture movement Dolls with the bold styles and bright colors of the 1980s, such as Lilac and Lovely, and that speak to historical moments from the decade, such as Astronaut Barbie Examples that […]

Short-Term

Millennial Madness: The Toys that Shaped a Generation

Travel back to the 1990s—the era of grunge and the rising Internet— to explore the toys, dolls, and video games that shaped a generation at Millennial Madness, a new display featured in The Strong’s America at Play exhibit on the second floor. From Beanie Babies and Tickle Me Elmo to the Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64, learn about how these iconic playthings entertained and influenced more than 80 million kids: Discover how changing technologies and widespread access to the Internet spurred […]

Permanent

Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden

A visit to The Strong museum is not complete without a stop in Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden, the only year-round indoor butterfly garden in upstate New York. Enter the lush rain forest environment and walk among hundreds of brilliantly colored, free-flying tropical and native butterflies that flutter about—and may even land on you! Be sure to visit the chrysalis case and see emerging butterflies. A paved path leads guests through tropical foliage, a turtle pond, and a cascading waterfall. Take a peek […]

Permanent

Wegmans Super Kids Market

At The Strong’s Wegmans Super Kids Market exhibit, kids run the store! Cruise the aisles and fill a grocery cart with colorful products that look amazingly real. Visit the toddler organic farm, Market Café, and a variety of other highly interactive store environments that offer dramatic role-playing opportunities and encourage healthy eating habits. Explore the Market Café replete with prepared meals, a sushi bar, and a coffee bar—just like the real grown-up Wegmans! Shop for organic and gluten-free products at Nature’s Marketplace.   Discover […]

Permanent

Reading Adventureland

The magic of literature comes to life in Reading Adventureland at The Strong museum. The artifact-rich, life-size pop-up book invites guests to laugh, play, learn, and read! Follow the Yellow Brick Road into five literary landscapes inspired by children’s books. Become a sleuth and solve riddles in the Mystery Mansion. Play with silly words and rhymes in the Upside-Down Nonsense House. Explore a shipwreck and caves in Adventure Island. Come face to face with famous fairy tale characters and settings in Fairy Tale Forest. Delve into […]

Permanent

Play Pals

Play house, heal a teddy bear, and save the world. Play Pals traces the evolution of dolls, action figures, toy soldiers, and plush animals through three centuries of American history. Encounter rare treasures from The Strong’s collections and role-play, test your reflexes, and create imaginary worlds among hands-on, interactive stations: Step into a life-size dollhouse complete with kitchen, nursery, garden, and family car (with working ignition, pedals, GPS, and headlights). Measure, weigh, and test the vital signs of your favorite stuffed animals […]

Permanent

Pinball Playfields

Immerse yourself in the pops, thumps, and dings of pinball and play your way through more than 80 years of pinball history at the original Pinball Playfields exhibit at The Strong museum. Trace the evolution of the playfield—the surface where the ball ricochets through a maze of lights and obstacles to rack up points—from countertop games of the 1930s to sophisticated, electronic versions that remain popular today. View pioneering pinball machines from The Strong’s collections, including Whiffle (1931), World’s Fair Jigsaw […]

Permanent

Peanuts and Play Display

Marvel at artifacts featuring author and illustrator Charles M. Schulz’s iconic characters near the entrance to The Strong’s Field of Play exhibit. Snap a photo of a six-foot-tall statue of Snoopy and his best friend, Woodstock. Explore the impact of the Peanuts characters on play and pop culture. Check out other comic strips that drew inspiration from Schulz’s stories. Discover the history of other popular comic strip characters, such as Buster Brown and Little Orphan Annie. View toys that were popular during the Baby Boom […]

Permanent

One History Place

In the One History Place exhibit at The Strong museum, children and families can step into the past and experience a glimpse of life as it was a century ago. Amid artifacts and reproductions, guests explore mini-environments and go hands-on with activities reminiscent of an era of days gone by. Role-play as a teacher or student in a 19th-century, one-room schoolhouse. Delight in a game of “dress up” with turn-of-the-century clothes in the attic. Pump water, churn butter, and invite guests to a tea […]

Permanent

Imagination Destination

Let your imagination soar! Be an astronaut, rescue pilot, construction worker, actor, and more in The Strong’s original, permanent Imagination Destination exhibit. Role-play in inspiring spaces bursting with physical challenges, such as a rescue helicopter, construction site, rocket ship, and theater. Jump into the captain’s chair and take command of the bridge on the U.S.S. Strong—a futuristic spaceship replete with lights and sounds reminiscent of favorite science-fiction movies. Climb into the cockpit of an emergency helicopter with working controls and set off […]

Permanent

Game Time!

Your turn! Move like a piece on a giant game board through three centuries of American games, puzzles, and public amusements at Game Time! located on The Strong’s second floor. Feast your eyes on oversized toy props; see rare, historic treasures from The Strong’s game and puzzle collections; and jump right in for active hands-on family fun. Conquer the maze in a jumbo Perplexus, designed especially for The Strong, and compare it to the 1889 original handheld ball maze Pigs in […]

Permanent

Field of Play

In The Strong’s Field of Play exhibit senses are delighted by interactive and creative-play activities, and hundreds of fascinating artifacts that illustrate the six major elements of play: anticipation, surprise, pleasure, understanding, strength, and poise. Start with a three-screen multimedia presentation about the importance of play in human learning and creativity, then go hands-on in this one-of-a-kind play laboratory. Walk through a giant kaleidoscope and create and view your own kaleidoscope patterns. Use pulleys to power a gigantic overhead ball machine. “Drive” a drag […]

Permanent

eGameRevolution

From the dawn of Pong to today’s hot gamer trends, at eGameRevolution—an original, highly interactive exhibit produced by The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG)—every generation can play its way through the history of video games. Grab an oversized joystick and play Giant Tetris—the only machine of its kind available for play in all of North America—or gobble up opponents on Pac-Man Battle Royale, the first 4-player Pac-Man game. Enter a recreated video arcade and play nearly 4 dozen […]

Permanent

DanceLab

Dance to music through the decades and cast colorful, moving shadow patterns in DanceLab at The Strong museum. Move your feet to a variety of classic tunes and contemporary hits: Jump and jive to energetic swing music. Tap your toes and stomp your feet to popular pop hits. Groove to classic disco beats. Do the Twist and kick your feet to the Charleston. Sing and move along with favorite Sesame Street songs. DanceLab is produced by The Strong.

Permanent

Carousel and Train

Elaine Wilson Carousel Take a spin on the lovingly restored Elaine Wilson Carousel featuring leaping horses, ponies, a chariot, and whirling tub. Manufactured in 1918 by the Allan Herschell Company in nearby North Tonawanda, New York, the carousel is an exceptional example of a country fair-style machine, built to last—a necessity when traveling from town to town. Rides cost $1 per person per ride. The carousel is named in honor of the late Elaine P. Wilson in recognition of the Elaine […]

Permanent

Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street?

Step into the world’s most famous neighborhood at The Strong museum. Travel through five delightful decades of the iconic Sesame Street children’s television series. Dozens of interactive components invite families to explore concepts about letters, words, numbers, inclusion, and diversity. Say hello to Big Bird and sit on the famous 123 Sesame Street stoop. Visit with Elmo, Dorothy, and Mr. Noodle in the crayon-colored Elmo’s World and make your television debut with Abby Cadabby. Cook a meal in the Cookie Monster Foodie Truck. Use the payphone to call your favorite character. Read a […]

Permanent

Build, Drive, Go

Put imagination into motion and zoom, sail, or fly into the Build, Drive, Go exhibit to explore the history of vehicles of all sorts—from trucks and trains to planes and boats—through three centuries of American history. Stop for a picture at an oversized traffic light. Climb into a dump truck to manipulate the levers and controls. Create skyscrapers and other towering structures with oversized blocks in the Big Build area. Make your own creations from materials at the Build Table, including favorites such as magnetic […]

Permanent

The Berenstain Bears: Down a Sunny Dirt Road

Spend the day in Bear Country at The Strong museum. Start your journey by giving big bear hugs to life-size sculptures of Mama, Papa, Brother, and Sister Bear (don’t forget your camera!). Then, walk down Bear Country Main Street where a honey-pot of exciting activities awaits at the stores and businesses inspired by the books: Serve up some lunch at the Bear Family Restaurant. Visit a barn, barnyard, and fruit and vegetable stand filled with learning activities at Farmer Ben’s Farm. Make new friends at […]

Permanent

Aquariums at Rainbow Reef

Dive into The Strong’s Rainbow Reef exhibit and discover delightful activities inspired by the museum’s underwater residents. Step up to a larger-than-life digital aquarium. Design and draw shapes on a fish coloring sheet. Then, scan your drawing onto a monitor and watch it come to life on a projected fish tank filled with coral reef. Marvel at the fascinating behaviors of saltwater fish and coral in the 1,700-gallon coral reef aquarium featuring a large and low viewing surface that provides even the […]

Permanent

American Comic Book Heroes

Grab a cape and leap into the world of superheroes with the American Comic Book Heroes: The Battle of Good vs. Evil exhibit at The Strong museum. Explore seven decades of amazing characters who have struggled mightily against evil in the comic book cosmos while inspiring kids’ imaginations and play. Go hands-on at Super Powers School where everyone becomes a superhero. Super Strength: Step into the laboratory and absorb “gamma rays” in order to pick up a massively heavy object. Super Memory: Observe a series of flashing lights and […]

Permanent

America at Play

Dive into the past and explore more than 300 years of play and pastimes in America at Play—a permanent exhibit at The Strong. Through a blend of rare artifacts and hands-on activities, learn how play influenced America’s cultural history: Marvel at a custom-made Harley-Davidson and explore America’s favorite outdoor pastimes, such as biking, boating, sledding, skiing, and fishing. View rare board games from the 1800s, such as the Game of the American Revolution, Rough Riders, and Bicycle Race. Encounter a Charlie Chaplin doll, a Charley McCarthy ventriloquist […]

Permanent

Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences

Learn about luminaries in the video game industry and their award-winning creations at The Strong® museum in an exhibit that recognizes outstanding achievements within interactive entertainment and showcases recipients of both the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Awards and its Special Awards: Scroll through a touch-screen timeline to learn about D.I.C.E. award recipients across multiple categories, including Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Family Game of the Year, and others. Game of […]