Collections

Strong National Museum of Play's more than 500,000 objects and its 90,000-volume Library and Archives include, among other materials, the world’s most comprehensive collection of dolls, toys, games, and other play-related artifacts; the Olin Collection of some 10,000 toy catalogs, largest in the nation; and the personal library and papers of Brian Sutton-Smith, America’s most celebrated play scholar.

Founded on the personal collection of Margaret Woodbury Strong, the museum’s holdings reflect her innate sense of fun and fascination with the commonplace objects of daily life and her love of play. A golfer, archer, bowler, and competitive flower arranger, Mrs. Strong also played at collecting, and no objects intrigued her more than dolls and toys. The artifacts she collected and those acquired since her death enable scholars and others to observe American cultural history through the window of play. These materials embody, illustrate, illuminate, preserve, and enable understanding of the attitudes, beliefs, values, customs, tastes, and traditions that Americans have held individually and collectively over the last two centuries and have passed, or are passing, to subsequent generations. These personal, everyday objects help Americans to understand who they are and who they believe they are and why.

See the National Toy Hall of Fame and Playing Is pages for images and information about some of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts in the museum’s collections.