Open Daily, Except Tuesdays  

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

330 E. College Ave., Appleton, WI

920.735.9370

Did you know Appleton was once home

to several toy companies?

Explore the history of classic and locally-made toys in a whimsical exhibit about the golden age of toys. Play offers children, parents, and grandparents an opportunity for intergenerational learning and fun!

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Get in touch with your inner child as you explore Appleton’s historic toy industry, the origins of iconic toys, and why toys are important to childhood.  This exhibit includes a showcase of vintage toys, and provides the opportunity to play with some, too!

Children and adults can walk a Slinky® down a set of stairs, get constructive with Happy Builder Blocks and Tinkertoys®, and draw with an Etch-a-Sketch®. Baby boomers will especially enjoy this exhibit as a nostalgia trip back to the 1950s and 60s by watching vintage television toy commercials and seeing many of the classic toys they played with in their childhood. 

The exhibit’s atmosphere is colorful, whimsical, and larger than life. Classic toys were illustrated by local artist Emily Reetz and have been enlarged as decorative elements to give a sense of childlike fun to the gallery.  

Walter S. and Amelia M. Rugland Fund within the

Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region
Harley and Dorothy Henke     Patricia Hetland      Rita Kugler     Mark Meythaler

In-Kind Support

Eagle Supply & Plastics, Inc.         Munroe Exhibits and Graphics

​Created with support from:

On Display August 2016 - March 2022