Spend an Afternoon at the Toy Museum of New York

Located on the second floor of a Brooklyn Heights Church parish, The Toy Museum of New York is filled with classic toys dating back to the 1800’s. Once a month, they host a theatrical production, Queen Marlene’s Toy Theater, that’s open to the public. My husband and I took our children to the show.

(I’ll admit it, I was also excited to see some toys from my generation on display at the museum like Cabbage Patch dolls and vintage Barbie dolls)

When we entered the museum, the kids ran over to the many display cases that had everything from toys to board games. Within a few minutes of entering the museum, Marlene Hochman, the museum’s founder and director, started the production.

Marlene introduced herself to the children and told them she loves to play dress up. She then opened a large chest, picked out a costume and put on a Queen’s dress over her clothes. With a newly acquired English accent, she told the children that she would need lots of helpers throughout the show. All of the children were excited to do just that.

This one-hour interactive show is essentially a tour of the museum. Telling stories about the history of toys while also addressing the proper way toys should be handled, the kids were transfixed on the show. Marlene also incorporates stories about toys around the world, taking the children through the museum’s collection. There were several times when my children were called upon to help Queen Marlene. At one point, Lucy was asked to put on a lab coat and oversized stethoscope to assist the Queen in repairing a doll.

After the performance, the audience is welcome to spend time perusing the many display cases that line this one-room museum. The museum also provides crates of toys for the children to play with on the floor. What struck me was how all the kids played together after the show. None of the children knew each other, but within minutes my kids were setting up dollhouse furniture with other children.

The museum also features toys from my parents and grandparents' generation. There is a large collection of Howdy Doody toys, and a small flat screen TV that plays Howdy Doody shows.

Kids get a history lesson, too. The displays are filled with tons of interesting facts, for example during World War II, Monopoly was shipped to US Soldiers who were POWs in Germany. Hidden in the monopoly games were maps of escape routes and real currency.

Marlene Hochman founded the museum in 1999 after writing several books on dolls.

“I wanted to write more books and do further research on antique toys but there were only a few museums in NYC where I could see the toys and learn about them," she said. "So I started a non-profit museum and began displaying the growing toy collection in a variety of spaces including inside a transportable classroom at on Hoyt Street, in a classroom at MS 142 on Henry Street, at the Brooklyn Heights and Bay Ridge Public Libraries and in several other local museums.”

In November 2009, the museum moved to their permanent home in the old Parish on Montague Street. Marlene loves the new space.

“I love interiors, antiques and rich jewel tones. This space has some wonderful original details and high ceilings. We have tried to keep those features visible and create a space that children will enjoy visiting, and they do," she said. "It lends itself to a nice backdrop along with the old toys to host our theatrical productions.”

The museum caters to lots of school groups during the week. Recently they started hosting birthday parties on the weekends, where partygoers can see the show and then have pizza and juice at the museum. They also host after-school classes in art and chess.

For Hochman, the museum's long lasting impact on kids is what's most important.

“The most important aspect of the museum is that children love it and they have a museum that they can call their own and they want to come back," she said.

"After a school group saw our theatrical performance last week, a little girl was standing in line putting on her coat to leave. She turned around and said to me, ‘See you tomorrow’ with hopes she'd be back the next day. How many children would say that after visiting a museum? I know we are doing something right when children are engaged and excited about learning.”

When I asked what inspired her to start the children's theater series, Hochman said she "wanted the children to have even more fun.”

After we returned home, my kids didn’t ask to turn on the TV, but instead ran into their room and started to play with their Legos and Barbie dolls.