ROCHESTER, New York—Christoper Bensch, Vice President for Collections at The Strong National Museum of Play and lead for its National Toy Hall of Fame, has announced his intention to retire after nearly 37 years of service. Bensch will retire from the museum in April 2026.
“Chris has had an incredible and lasting impact on the institution,” says Steve Dubnik, president and CEO of The Strong. “Throughout his career of nearly four decades, he’s grown the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of play-related materials to more than 560,000 objects and been a key part of growing the museum’s reputation through his work with the National Toy Hall of Fame.”
Bensch started at the museum in 1989 and became Vice President for Collections in 2004. He was the lead curator on dozens of popular museum exhibits, including America at Play, and led the exhibit project team for the Toy Halls of Fame exhibit and outdoor Hasbro Game Park. Most recently, he has been the lead for the museum’s National Archives of Game Show History initiative and the upcoming Beyond the Buzzer exhibit.
Bensch has also led the National Toy Hall of Fame program since it came to the museum in the early 2000s, and he has been a go-to expert for the museum on the history of toys and play. He’s given hundreds of media interviews over the years, including dozens of appearances on the History Channel and Travel Channel, as well as live spots on the TODAY Show and Good Morning America.
After April 3, 2026, Bensch will transition to Curator Emeritus and advise the museum on special projects.