The Kohl Children’s Museum isn’t playing around with “Toys: The Inside Story,” an interactive exhibit that runs through Sept. 4. And neither, at the moment, is 4-year-old Mason Van Patten, who is staring intently at two Jack-in-the Boxes. One is your traditional Jack in the Box; turn the handle round and round until the encased clown makes his surprise emergence. The other, outfitted with a camera on the inside, is hooked up to a monitor that displays how the toy’s worm gear and cam mechanism work together.
“He likes toys a lot,” his father beams. “He likes to take everything apart so he can (put it back together).”
Originally exhibited at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vt., “Toys: The Inside Story” features more than 10 different stations at which visitors witness firsthand how pulleys, gears, circuits and linkages bring favorite toys to life. It also encourages children to think out of the (Jack-in-the) box.
“It’s a great introduction to engineering,” says Vito Gioia, director of visitor experiences. “It’s fascinating to watch kids become completely engaged. They want to touch everything and make everything work. The parents are having just as much fun. Some of it is nostalgia, and some of it is their own fascination with how these things work. Everybody is learning something.”
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“Toys: The Inside Story” is brimming with low-tech delights and for visitors of a certain age, the nostalgia factor is a powerful force. One of the workstations revives a classic toy of old, Mr. Machine, now a circuit-free curiosity, but in its heyday, very high-tech with its clear plastic that allowed views of the toy’s linkages and cams propelling it forward. For added fun, a video replays the 1960 TV ad with its classic jingle (“Here he comes/Here he comes/Greatest toy you’ve ever seen….”).
Another retro favorite, still in operation, is, Operation, which offers an object lesson in open and closed circuits, switches and circuit boards. As part of this game station, visitors are challenged to keep a circuit open while maneuvering a ring along the peaks and valleys of a metal rod without touching it. Failure to do so closes the circuit and sets off a buzz that will be familiar to anyone who has botched one of the game’s delicate procedures, such as “remove funny bone.”
Another still beloved toy whose inner workings are on display is the iconic Etch-a-Sketch. A representative transparent pattern tracer demonstrates how 14 pulleys guide the drawing tip.
Other familiar toys featured in the exhibit include Hungry Hungry Hippos and Dr. Duck. All the displays feature signs with definitions that introduce basic science and engineering concepts.
‘Toys: The Inside Story’
When: Through Sept. 4
Where: Kohl Children’s Museum, 2100 Patriot Blvd., Glenview
Contact: (847) 832-6600; www.kohlchildrensmusuem.org