At a family event a mother builds together with her children a large structure with YAEL building blocks
The bland appearance of these well made wooden blocks stimulate imaginative building.
A family had a lot of fun making this figure.
We had eight wheeled plastic containers to house the blocks. Having such a large amount available allowed for the ability to build a large structure.
Some of the blocks in their original packaging were kept in the archives.
Heritage Centre? Museum of Play?
I have had on my mind how to describe our Heritage Centre of Play.
Which aspects does it share with a Museum of Play, if at all?
An established Museum of Play or of Toys and Games or of Childhood or such stuff should have no difficulty in arranging a pop-up display of toys of the last one hundred years.
I took as a measuring stick the illustrated article by Allie Townsend that appeared in TIME magazine on February 16th. 2011. You may see it here – http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2049243,00.html
It covers the years from 1923 to 2011 and describes 100 toys and playthings which she claims to have been the most influential. She did not say “in U.S.A.” which she should have.The original toys are illustrated and are presented according to their year of production.
I list here the toys that we could put on show. There are some originals though most are derivatives (meaning they are the outcome of the influence engendered by those originals) and many have been produced in Israel. Lots have been “previously loved”.
Chemistry set
Yo-yo
Pop-up books
Stuffed Mickey Mouse
Finger paint
Microscope set
Beach Ball
Toy gun
Tiny plastic soldiers
Bubble solution
Little Golden Books
Slinky
Lego Building Blocks
Silly Putty
Fisher-Price Little People
Vinyl Colourforms
Paint by numbers
Mr. Potato Head
Matchbox Car
Pez Dispenser
Bendy Action Figure
Playdough
Frisbee
Push Toy on Stick
Hula Hoop
Barbie
Troll Doll
Toy Train
Etch A Sketch
Rocking Stacking Toy
Ken
Toy Telephone
Action Men
Audio Toy
Super Bouncy Ball
Barrel of Monkeys
Radio Controlled Car
Hot Wheels Model Cars
Playmobil
Foam Ball for Indoors
Weebles
Paddington Bear
Shrinky Dinks
Rubik’s Cube
Electronic toys
Cabbage Patch Doll
Polly Pocket
Care Bear
My Little Pony
Transformers
Plush Toys
Koosh Ball
Ninja Turtle
Skip It
Glow stick
Beanie Baby
Buzz Lightyear
Elmo
Furby
Magnet Toys
Bratz
What are Little Exhibitions Made of, Made of……?
Playstuff
What happens to the stuff of play?
Accumulation. Hey!
To hoard and hoard and hoard
More and more and more
Shall push us overboard
Into clutter not known before.
What happens to the stuff of play?
It is what you do with it
That is the bit
And the way
I say.
Be able to show What we know.
Here is one of our displays, small, in keeping with our character of being a Heritage Centre of Play
Most of our Pez containers are vintage and are considered to be collectibles. The heads that are on the bottom of the display were decapitated some forty years ago and were used as finger puppets. According to the prices in an ‘’antique’’ shop on Sheinkin Street each of our figures are worth from 60 to 90 shekels. The market stall holder in Jaffa’s flea market just sniffed at me and wouldn’t answer when I asked for prices. She knew I was not a buyer.
This larger display is in the Museum of the Patent Office in Georgetown, Washington . I was there when it was quite new and bought lots of stuff in its shop before eating a delicious dinner at the Inaugural Banquet in its vast atrium.
Here I am at work after searching for Jefferson’s shoe boxes. He had big feet.
‘Google’ Pez and be amazed at the world of Pez collectors.
There is an online Museum to be enjoyed and unbelievable masses of Pez figures portrayed.
DAY OF THE DOLL
A Japanese Festival.
Hinamatsuri (雛祭り Hina-matsuri?)
This year the Festival falls on 3rd. March. You can read about it on these sites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri
http://www.japantoday.com/category/arts-culture/view/day-of-the-dolls-2
The Japanese dolls in our collection of ethnic dolls are waiting to get out of their box to celebrate .
Each display is an artistic effort
Pam Maxwell Schomberg, artist potter from England, took time off during her last visit to Israel to lend us her skills in setting up exhibitions.
I know how Hercules felt.
Frances and Carole helped pack so that we could move into our new place.
Once there and unpacked, we had to repack during renovations.
It was a Herculean task to once more set up our displays.
I know how Hercules felt.
israel play heritage 