The Strong

Formation	1968; 56 years ago
Founder	Margaret Strong
Type	Non-profit
Purpose	Study of play
Location	Rochester, NY, United States;
Region served	United States

The Strong is an interactive, collections-based educational institution in Rochester, New York, United States, devoted to the study and exploration of play.^[1] It carries out this mission through six programmatic arms called "Play Partners":

The National Museum of Play
National Toy Hall of Fame
World Video Game Hall of Fame
International Center for the History of Electronic Games
The Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play
American Journal of Play
The Woodbury School

Independent and not-for-profit, The Strong houses hundreds of thousands of historical materials related to play. These enable a multifaceted array of research, exhibition, and other interpretive activities that serve a diverse audience of adults, families, children, students, teachers, scholars, collectors, and others around the globe.

History

The Strong was founded by Margaret Woodbury Strong in 1968 as the "Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum of Fascination."^[2] On her death the next year, the museum inherited her estate and collection of dolls, toys, and other everyday objects. It moved to a new building in downtown Rochester in 1982.^[2] Market research in the 1990s led it to pivot toward more family-oriented programming, and in 2002 it acquired the National Toy Hall of Fame, which it renamed the Strong National Museum of Play on 2006.^[2] The institution rebranded itself The Strong in 2010, housing The National Museum of Play and four additional Play Partners.^[3]^[4]

The Strong collects and preserves artifacts, documents, and other materials that illuminate the meaning and importance of play. The hundreds of thousands of objects in The Strong’s collections comprise the world’s most comprehensive assemblage of toys, games, dolls, electronic games, and other items related to play, many of which are on display in approximately 100,000 square feet (26,200m2) of exhibition space.

Current Exhibits

Play Lab
Skyline Climb
Toy Halls of Fame
Material Girl
Millennial Madness: The Toys That Shaped a Generation
Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden
Wegmans Super Kids Market
Reading Adventureland
Play Pals
Pinball Playfields
Peanuts and Play Display
One History Place
Imagination Destination
Game Time!
Field of Play
eGameRevolution
DanceLab
Elaine Wilson Carousel
Strong Express Train
Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?
Build, Drive, Go
The Berenstain Bears: Down a Sunny Dirt Road
Aquariums at Rainbow Reef
American Comic Book Heroes
America at Play
Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences
Raceway Arcade
ESL Digital Worlds: Level Up
ESL Digital Worlds: High Score
Hasbro Board Game Place
Re-Play: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Fun
Play Happened Here
Pixel Landing
Age of Empires
Jigsaw Puzzles: Order from Chaos
Hasbro Game Park
100 Years of Madame Alexander
Black Dolls
Barbie: You Can Be Anything Experience
Console Central
War Toys: Ukraine

Former Exhibits

Kid to Kid
UnEARTHling
Between 2 Worlds
Richard Scarry's Busytown
Psychology: It's More Than You Think!
Contraptions A to Z
Arthur's World
The Crayola FACTORY presents Journey to the Red Planet
Pop-Up Culture: Reflections on the Electric Toaster
Say Aah!
TimeLab
Altered States
Memory and Mourning
Earth 2U: Exploring Geography
Kaleidoscope
Toys from Mars
Kid Stuff
The Rochester Business Hall of Fame
Making Radio Waves
Geo-Zoooom!
Face to Face: Dealing with Prejudice and Discrimination
The Nobel Prize: Celebrating 100 Years of Creativity and Innovation
Global Shoes
Not Sold in Stores
Sweet Shoppe
Louie's
Alice's Wonderland: A Most Curious Adventure
Making Things Happen
Lady Liberty
The Berenstain Bears: The Art of Stan and Jan Berenstain
Adventures with Clifford the Big Red Dog
Enchanted Museum: Exploring the Science of Art
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Think Tank
Discovery Garden
Things for Play
Art of the Garden
Cyberchase
Bob the Builder: Project: Build It!
Grossology
Curious George: Let's Get Curious!
Make It & Take It
Name the Newcomer Contest
Child's Play
Mr. Potato Head
Videotopia
America's Favorite Doll
Mindbender Mansion
Toys and More
National Geographic MAPS
Five Friends from Japan
Football: The Exhibit
Monopoly
The Wizard of Oz
Design Zone
Doodle 4 Google
Dora & Diego: Let's Explore
LEGO Travel Adventure
Boardwalk Arcade
Atari Design
Little Builders
Animation
LEGO Castle Adventure
Play Pals
Trivial Pursuit: A 50-State Adventure
Cats Versus Dogs
Joey & Johnny, the Ninjas
Racers: The Thrill of Driving Game
Go Greyhound Display
Sid the Science Kid: The Super-Duper Exhibit
Playing with Power
Making Magic
Perfectly Pez
Hot Wheels: Race to Win
Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails
Muppets, Fraggles, and Beyond: The Jim Henson Collection
Rockets, Robots, and Ray Guns
The Force at Play
Dinosaurs: The Land of Fire and Ice
Playing with Politics
Big, Scary, and Extinct
Hands-On-Harley-Davidson
Paw Patrol
Women in Games
100 Years of Madame Alexander

Short-Term Exhibits

Photovoz: Picturing Play
Capturing Play
Black Doll Designers

Woodbury School

Woodbury School at The Strong offers a preschool program for three- and four-year-old children and an early kindergarten program for four- and five-year-old children. Both programs are Reggio Emilia-inspired, and therefore responsive to the children's interests. This curriculum approach encourages teachers and students to work together to plan curriculum and create projects. Guided by teachers who facilitate their explorations, children delve deeply into topics that fascinate them and stimulate their learning.^[5]

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games collects, studies, and interprets video games, other electronic games, and related materials and the ways in which electronic games are changing how people play, learn, and connect with each other, including across boundaries of geography and culture.

National Toy Hall of Fame

The National Toy Hall of Fame recognizes toys that have demonstrated popularity over multiple generations and thereby gained national significance in the world of play and imagination. Each year it inducts honorees and showcases both new and historic versions of the classic objects of play.

World Video Game Hall of Fame

On June 4, 2015, The Strong opened the doors to its World Video Game Hall of Fame. Its curator is Jon-Paul C. Dyson, who is The Strong's Vice President for Exhibit Research and Development^[6] and the Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.^[7]

The First Class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame consists of six games: Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man, Doom, World of Warcraft and Pong.^[8]

The Second Class consists of an additional six games: Space Invaders, Grand Theft Auto III, The Oregon Trail, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda and The Sims.^[9]

The Third Class includes Donkey Kong, Halo: Combat Evolved, Pokémon Red and Green and Street Fighter II.^[10]

The Fourth Class includes Final Fantasy VII, John Madden Football, Spacewar! and Tomb Raider.^[11]

Games become eligible for the World Video Game Hall of Fame by meeting four basic criteria. They must be iconic, have longevity, reach across international boundaries, and exert influence on the design and development of other games, other forms of entertainment, or popular culture and society.^[12]

Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play

The Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play is a multidisciplinary research repository devoted to the intellectual, social, and cultural history of play. In addition to housing the personal library and papers of eminent play scholar Brian Sutton-Smith, it holds a spectrum of primary and secondary resources, including scholarly works, popular and children’s books, professional journals, other periodicals, trade catalogs, comics, manuscripts, game design materials, personal papers, and business records.

American Journal of Play

The American Journal of Play is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary periodical for the discussion of the history, science and culture of play. It includes articles, interviews, and book reviews for a broad readership, including educators, scholars and designers.