Toys of the past and present on display at Heinz History Center
The exhibit features interactive living rooms from each era.
At this interactive exhibit, visitors can relive childhood memories by racing Slinkys on a staircase.
The electronic game Simon
A video game area features vintage games
Barbie and Ken dolls
Mr. Potato Head
Raggety Ann and Andy dolls
Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots
A replica of an outdoor space where visitors can practice the Hula Hoop.
The Heinz History Center just got a lot more playful.
“Toys of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s,” an all-ages exhibit at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District, acts primarily as a time machine to show with what and how kids played in the past. On display are the earliest forms of classic toys that are around even today, like Mr. Potato Head, Barbie and LEGOs.
Overall, the presentation and layout of the exhibit is very appealing. Visitors walk around an area styled to look like the respective decades while reading occasionally tounge-in-cheek descriptions of the toys. The toys themselves are very interesting, especially the ones that have updated their design over the years. There’s a certain charm to seeing a familiar toy as it looked 50 years ago, and people old enough to actually have played with some of the toys on display will no doubt receive a dose of nostalgia.
The exhibit also deals with the advertising culture that was built around the toys themselves. As television became more and more prominent in American households during the 1950s, toy companies saw a fantastic opportunity to sell their product with commercials. Some of these commercials can be seen playing on a black and white TV in a replica of a living room from each decade. Comparing the techniques used back then to today’s allows one to draw interesting conclusions about our culture and the relationship between producer and consumer.
Of course, being about toys, there are some interactive elements to the exhibit. A large garage area with Nerf balls and Hula Hoops can be found in the back, as well as an electronic trivia game about some of the toys. You can play with an Etch A Sketch and send a Slinky down some stairs, demonstrating just how poorly the Slinky worked. And at the end lies a gallery with many pinball tables, as well as classic arcade games such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders, playable with special arcade tokens. These interactive items are a much-appreciated gesture, as I find too many exhibits nowadays forgo the spirit of the items in favor of shoving them all in glass containers.
“Toys of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s” is a really cool exhibit that sheds light on the fact that things have simultaneously changed greatly and barely at all. While these toys no doubt look different today, they are the same ones beloved by past generations. The simple universal appeal of these toys is incredible, and it’s hard to imagine ever losing that. There’s a reason why kids have stuck to what they know for so long.
The exhibit runs through May 31.
Jeremy Farbman is a junior at Mt. Lebanon High School.