Mr. Potato Head & Smithsonian Artifacts - Curator talk - Toys of the '50s, '60s and '70s

Heinz History Center curator Emily Ruby discusses the Toys exhibit and some of the local and Smithsonian artifacts added, including the Digi-Comp 1 and an original Mr. Potato Head Funny-Face Kit. The Toys of the '50s, '60s and '70s exhibit was open at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh from March through May 2016. More information can be found on our website: ******

Hi, I’m Emily Ruby, curator at the Senator John Heinz History Center. We’re in Toys of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. We partnered with the Minnesota Historical Society to bring Toys of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s to Pittsburgh. This exhibit covers the post-war toy production, the baby boom, and the rise of electronic toys. As a Smithsonian affiliate, we always try to add a Smithsonian object to any of our exhibits. Here we added the Mr. Potato Head kit, created by George Lerner, and then an early computing toy called the Digi-Comp 1. We also added our own little local component with the Wolverine Supply and Manufacturing Company toys and then we ended with an early ’80s arcade.