The Strong: National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY is home to the Brian Sutton-Smith Library & Archives of Play.
The Strong proclaims that it “owns and cares for the world’s most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, board games, video games, other electronic games, and other historical materials related to play.” Fortunately, much of its collection can be viewed online.
A few interesting finds include…
The Oreo School Time Fun Barbie from 2001.
And even an Atari Basic Programming Video Game ca. 1980
The Strong provides a helpful reminder that archives are so much more than collections of papers. Physical objects can help us preserve and acknowledge our shared histories. More so, keeping a publicly accessible digital collection helps to keep this spirit of sharing alive.
*Photos courtesy of The Strong: National Museum of Play