Fun and Games at the Sarasota Toy Museum

My faves from the massive lunchbox collection

I'll admit it. I was a wee bit skeptical when I read about the new Sarasota Toy Museum. Aren't I too old to enjoy looking at toys??? The answer -- happily -- is a resounding "no." My outing to the Toy Museum with friends was pure fun -- not to mention an opportunity to get in touch with my inner child. 

Like many boys, owner Richard Pierson swapped trading cards and action figures and comic books with his friends. But as time progressed Pierson set aside his childish play and got a job and had a family. His fascination with toys continued, but real life had taken over. 

A few years back, Pierson came upon the toy collection of Gary Neil while antiquing in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Neil expressed an interest in selling his toys so they could be exhibited in a larger space where more people could enjoy them. The seed was planted. When Pierson retired, he acquired the massive collection with the intention of creating the Sarasota Toy Museum. I can't imagine how much work packing and unpacking the two 53' tractor trailers was. Today, you can see more than 15,000 of the vintage toys, games, merchandise and memorabilia on display at the Museum. There's also an impressive toy train set that makes its way around the Green Mountains. 

Pez Containers

Everyone's journey through the Museum will be personal. But since I'm the one doing the writing, you get to learn about some of the objects that sent me back to my childhood. Let's start with the portion of the 600+ lunchbox collection on display. Holy moly. I have to admit that I don't have memories of bringing my lunch to school and swapping whatever my mother sent with me with other kids. But the images on the lunchboxes evoked much nostalgia, none more than the happy juxtaposition of Nancy Drew and Bobby Sherman. 

When we first moved to Panama City, I was 10 years old and Suzanne was seven. We shared a bedroom (thankfully only for a year), with walls that boasted competing posters of David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman. Is it a surprise that I had a huge crush on the sexy guitar-playing Cassidy? Seriously, how could you resist him when he sang "I Think I Love You"? (Click here to see the Partidge Family performing the song. It was slightly disturbing to find a video of him singing the tune at a concert when he 66 years old. Little did Cassidy know at the time that his gig on the Patridge Family would be the acme of his career.)  Note: I did like Sherman on "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," but he was just so wholesome comparied to Cassidy.

"Dark Shadows" game and archery set

As to Nancy Drew, you probably won't be surprised to learn I've been a reader from a young age. I remember my parents practically begging me to go out and play kickball with the neighborhood kids in the middle of the street. (Those were the days.) But reading has always transported me to another world, and my athletic skills are better left unmentioned. So "Nancy Drew" it was. She was smart and curious and loyal, not to mention pretty. Really not a bad role model for a young girl. Moving on...

Sculpture at the Ringling Museum

Creepily, the Barnabas Collins Dark Shadows game also resonated with me. The timeline for this story is a bit vague, but I know it dates back to when we were still living in Kansas, so I was not yet in fifth grade. My mother worked as a nurse, and a woman watched Suzanne and me when we got home from school. (In my recollection, the sitter was really, really old. But who knows? She might have been in her 40s.) I vividly remember rushing home to watch "Dark Shadows." No after-school specials for this kid. Yes, it was a different time. 

You might expect this recollection to be a memory deep in my subconscious that came to the surface when I saw the game. Nope. I think about it every time I walk through the galleries at Ringling Museum and come upon this sculpture (for which no info is available). How could I not think about Barnabas whenever I encounter this guy? I would love to know what Ringling was thinking when he acquired this sculpture. But I seriously digress.  

I'll leave you with another toy that evokes childhood memories. Yes, it's an oversized Hulk Hogan action figure sitting atop a case full of his campatriots. I'm outing my sister on this one. 

I have no idea how Suzanne came to be obsessed with "professional" wrestling when she was a kid. All I can say is she was into it big time. When I talked to her for a refesher, she reminded me that she had a wrestling poster in her bedroom. The days of Bobby Sherman were long gone. She also played Kiss on her record player while getting ready for school just to add to the healthy atmosphere. No reason for our parents to be concerned! 

The icing on the cake is that she somehow convinced our dad to take her to a professional wrestling match out of town. It was only an hour way in Dothan, but still. Good times. I think that might have been when the harsh realization came that professional wrestling wasn't totally real. 

Hopefully you've gotten the sense of how much fun the Toy Museum is. But don't take my word for it. Grab some friends and head on over yourself. The outing will be sure to evoke some childhood memories of your own. 

For more about the Toy Museum, click here and here. Have fun!