The Strong is a museum dedicated to the history and exploration of play. It is designed to be highly interactive and is one of the largest history museums in the United States. The mission of the Strong museum is to explore the concept of play and how it encourages creativity and helps to illuminate our cultural history.
The Co-Founder of the educational toy company Click-A-Brick Jason Smith praises the museums initiative. “The Strong museum is the definition of amazing,” Smith said. “For someone like me, an avid gamer and a father of three, there’s nothing greater. To see an institution like this that promotes play as an integral part of the human experience simply fascinates me. I love it. Our mission at Click-A-Brick has always been to help children use their imaginations, to develop critical thinking skills and to have fun doing it. It’s good to see we’re not alone.”
The Strong was founded in 1968 by Margaret Woodbury Strong. She was an avid collector of dolls and toys and before she died in 1969, she bequeathed her estate to help support the museum that carries her name. In 2006, the museum expanded its size to over 285,000 square feet. In 2008 the Strong museum began to publish the American Journal of Play and in 2009 it launched the International Center for the History of Electronic Games. In 2015 the museum established the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
The Strong Museum owns and cares for the world’s most comprehensive collection of
historical materials related to play. It provides public programs and experiences designed to engage and enlighten. The Strong also partners with community organizations to make the museum easily accessible to guests with special needs.
The Co-Founder of Click-A-Brick applauds the Strong museum. “I didn’t believe it when I first heard about it,” de Gorostiza said. “A museum for play? How incredible is that? But what’s even greater is what they do. They preserve and promote play for everybody. Children. Grown Ups. Everybody. It’s everything that we try to do with Click-A-Brick.”
The National Museum of Play seeks to ensure that present and future generations understand the critical role of play The Strong is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). The Strong is open 362 days a year. It is the premier destination for research, exhibitions, and activities about play for adults, families, children, students, and teachers from around the world.
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