The Strong National Museum of Play
Rochester, NY 14607
Phone: 585.263.2700
Beth Lathrop - 585.410.6349 - blathrop@museumofplay.org
The Strong National Museum of Play
About
The Strong® is a highly interactive, collections-based museum devoted to the history and exploration of play. It is one of the largest history museums in the United States and one of the leading museums serving families and children. The Strong houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play and is home to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the National Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the Woodbury School, and the American Journal of Play. Together, these enable a multifaceted array of research, exhibition, and other interpretive and educational activities that serve a diverse audience of adults, families, children, students, teachers, scholars, collectors, and others around the globe.
The Strong National Museum of Play is a member of the Rochester Regional Library Council.
Collections
Atari pioneered the arcade video game and helped launch the video game revolution with the introduction of Pong (1972), the Home Pong console (1975), and the Atari 2600 (1977) during the 1970s. Initially as Atari Inc. (1972–1984) and later as Atari Games (1984–1999), the company produced iconic arcade video games and pinball machines such as Pong, Breakout (1976), Asteroids (1979), Superman pinball (1979), Missile Command (1981), Star Wars (1983), Gauntlet (1985), and Primal Rage (1994). The collection encompasses a wide array of historical materials, including more than 3,000 pieces of original concept and final arcade cabinet artwork, hand-drawn assembly design sketches, storyboards, photographs, and print advertising proofs; hundreds of original art kits and production films for Atari arcade video game cabinets; nearly 2,800 videos of game demos, television commercials, industry show presentations, focus groups, and company celebrations; arcade game source code; promotional materials; and an unreleased Maze Invaders arcade video game—one of only two units known to exist. Also included in the Atari Coin-Op Division Corporate Records collection are dozens of binders chronicling the production of virtually every Atari coin-operated game from 1972 to 1999; extensive corporate records documenting game brainstorming sessions, industry and market research, and player game evaluations; and company correspondence, newsletters, and technical documentation.
Margaret Woodbury Strong amassed an outstanding collection of dolls and toys which formed the basis for The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York. This collection, spanning from the late 19th century through mid-20th century, includes photographs, news clippings, and ephemera relating to Margaret Woodbury Strong’s life and her collections.