My kids are obsessed with Star Wars.
I’m not kidding — for her third birthday, Mary received a Star Wars Character Dictionary. She now knows more characters than my Star Wars-obsessed husband, and whether they’re “a good guy” or “a bad guy, like DARK Vader!”
For Christmas, all three received Star Wars paraphernalia — plush toys, flash lights, books and clothing. They haven’t seen any of the movies yet — but could, at this point, probably tell you the basic plot synopses for Episodes 1-6.
My point is — my kids love this stuff, so when we heard about the Kenner Toys exhibit at the Main Library, we had to check it out!
Just in Time for the Holidays: Kenner Toys features the toys and brands that Cincinnati-based toy titan Kenner designed and developed from the 1940s through the 1990s. The exhibit was curated by Dan Flarida and Josh Blake of KennerCollector.com and includes toys from Strawberry Shortcake, Batman, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Play-Doh and the Easy-Bake Oven. And, of course, Star Wars.
My kids were so excited to see the various Star Wars action figures and toys located throughout the library. My husband was especially pumped about a special case, located near the elevators, that showed the origins of various Star Wars toys, with images of the first prototypes created by Kenner in 1977.
It’s not all Star Wars — there was Strawberry Shortcake, Ghostbusters and even The Terminator — pop culture phenoms that every kid from the ’80’s will recognize!
There are also vintage classics, like the Original Easy-Bake Oven, Play Doh and a “Daddy Saddle” from the ’40s.
This was a fun (and free!) way to spend a rainy afternoon. Afterwards, we walked over to the Children’s Learning Center, a gigantic, just-for-kids wing of the library.
I highly recommend taking your crew to this exhibit — but hurry! Just in Time for the Holidays: Kenner Toys is only on display through Jan. 16.
Just in Time for the Holidays: Kenner Toys is located in the Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Cincinnati Room, with smaller displays throughout the Main Library. This exhibit is free, and runs through January 16. The Cincinnati Room is open all hours that the Main Library is open.
