Press Releases

Rochester, NY–The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) and The Strong National Museum of Play have teamed up for the first time to present Let’s Play: A Winter Celebrationon Saturday, December 10.
Families are invited from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for musical performances throughout the museum featuring RPO musicians as well as student groups, an instrument petting zoo, a musical story time, and music-related arts & crafts. All are included in the regular museum admission: $19 (ages 2 and over); free for […]

Continue Reading about The Strong Museum and RPO Team Up for Winter Celebration, December 10 Published on:
November 30, 2022

For more information, contact: Sara Poe, The Strong, spoe@museumofplay.org
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Calling all gamers! Join The Strong and Rochester Institute of Technology for Gaming for All: A Women in Games Celebration of Diversity in Games on Thursday, November 17 from 6pm – 9pm. This special evening of big-kid fun celebrates the untold contributions of women, people of color, differently-abled people, the LGBTQIA+ community, and other under-represented groups to the world of video games. Tickets for the event are $16 and include access to […]

Continue Reading about Gaming for All: A Women in Games Celebration of Diversity in Games Published on:
November 16, 2022

For more information contact: Sara Poe, The Strong, spoe@museumofplay.org
ROCHESTER, New York—It’s official! The ancient top, cultural phenomenon Masters of the Universe, and beloved Lite-Brite have been inducted today into the National Toy Hall of Fame. The honorees, unveiled during a special ceremony at The Strong National Museum of Play, were chosen from a field of 12 finalists that also included bingo, Breyer Horses, Catan, Nerf, piñata, Phase 10, Pound Puppies, Rack-O, and Spirograph.
About Top: Since ancient times, the spinning top […]

Continue Reading about National Toy Hall of Fame Inductees for 2022 Announced Published on:
November 10, 2022

ROCHESTER, NY—Rochester’s most playful fundraising gala returns! Join Honorary Chair and longtime museum Trustee Aaron Newman for an evening of fun and festivities highlighting the power of play in Rochester and beyond at The Strong’s Play Ball on Friday, October 21, from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Be a piece of the puzzle as the museum looks to the future; funds raised from Play Ball support the museum’s outreach programs and play-based educational mission.
“As someone who is always seeking out adventure, […]

Continue Reading about Play Ball Gala Returns October 21 Published on:
October 11, 2022

ROCHESTER, NY—Can libraries save free play? In the past decades, academic pressures have increased, parent anxieties and surveillance have grown, and legal constraints on free-roaming children have tightened, all leading to a well-documented decline in free play opportunities for today’s youth. As children have become more homebound and opportunities for play with friends outside of school have plummeted, public libraries have come to hold an increasingly important role as emerging centers for play, according to an article by Peter Gray, […]

Continue Reading about Can Libraries Save Free Play? New Issue of the American Journal of Play Explores Expanding Role of Libraries Published on:
September 27, 2022

ROCHESTER, New York—Which toys will make it into the National Toy Hall of Fame this November? Can Breyer Horses gallop across the finish line? Is this Lite-Brite’s year to shine? Will the Masters of the Universe muscle their way to glory? Can Spirograph draw up a victory? Or will Phase 10 play the winning hand?
The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, today announced the 12 finalists for induction into the hall: bingo, Breyer Horses, Catan, Lite-Brite, […]

Continue Reading about National Toy Hall of Fame Reveals 12 Finalists Published on:
September 14, 2022

The following 12 toys are finalists for 2022 induction into The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame. Only three will take their honored places in the hall this year when they are announced by The Strong on Thursday, November 10, at 10:30 a.m.
Bingo
American bingo is descended from a lottery game first played in Italy around 1530. The game came to be known as lotto and was played in France and in Germany as a teaching tool. A marketer copied the […]

Continue Reading about Meet the 2022 National Toy Hall of Fame Finalists Published on:
September 14, 2022

ROCHESTER, NY—The Strong National Museum of Play and Jordan Health are pleased to announce the launch of the Passport to Healthy Play program to encourage medical screenings and wellness. Through the Passport to Healthy Play program, pediatric patients with Jordan Health who complete their physical and dental screenings will be provided passes and meal vouchers to enjoy a day of play at The Strong on specified days. This partnership is a win/win not only for Jordan Health and The Strong […]

Continue Reading about The Strong Partners with Jordan Health to Promote Wellness Published on:
August 17, 2022

ROCHESTER, New York—Do you have a favorite toy that deserves to join the likes of Tonka Trucks, Monopoly, Slinky, Rubik’s Cube, and other classic playthings enshrined in The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame? The deadline for nominations is soon approaching and toy lovers everywhere are urged to voice their choices for induction this coming November. To nominate a favorite classic toy, visit toyhalloffame.org/nominate or mail your selection to: The Strong, One Manhattan Square, Rochester, NY 14607. Submissions for nominations must be received by Sunday, […]