Holidays and Celebrations Archive

Many people know how much impact Jews and Jewish culture have had on entertainment industries like film, television, and comic books. But Jewish designers, entrepreneurs, and inventors have also shaped the world of toys, games, pinball, and video games, and the products of their careers are a huge part of the collections of both The Strong museum and the childhoods of millions in the U.S. and around the world. Those careers go back to the early days of the industrial […]

Continue Reading about A Brief Jewish History of the Toy and Game Industry: Nuremberg, Germany Published on:
December 16, 2022

On a recent morning, I was out early at our local Wegmans supermarket. Because the store had just opened there were few people there and I could hear the music playing over the loudspeaker. In this case, it was the 1970s R&B song “Everybody Plays the Fool.” Like an ear worm, the chorus stuck in my head:
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
There’s no exception to the rule
Listen, baby, it may be factual, may be cruel
I ain’t lyin’, everybody plays the fool
I […]

Continue Reading about Everybody Plays the Fool Published on:
March 3, 2022

“I love a parade.”
Or at least that’s what the rousing chorus of Harry Richman’s 1932 song proudly boasts.
Barbara Streisand shares similar enthusiasm in the popular 1964 musical (and 1968 film adaptation) Funny Girl while belting out the now iconic song “Don’t Rain on My Parade”. The song has continued to experience popularity in the zeitgeist in the decades since, with a particularly memorable (albeit brief) rendition by Robin Williams in the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire.
So, what makes parades so popular? […]

Continue Reading about Parading Through History Published on:
October 7, 2021

 Birthdays. Love them or hate them, we all have one.

I realized the other day that I’ve surpassed the sixth month mark since my last birthday and can now see that next number creeping up on the horizon. As a kid, that half mark is pretty significant, as most like to tack on the appropriate fraction to their age for added clout. For instance, my nephew delights in telling people he is not just seven, he is seven and a half. […]

Continue Reading about Birthday Fun Published on:
September 6, 2019

Some time ago, I worked at a bookstore. My days were filled with hauling stacks of books, shelving books, looking up titles, and endlessly restocking whatever Oprah’s latest recommendation was. My coworkers were witty and humorous, and on slow days we’d chat while shelving or alphabetizing books. It was during one of these conversations that I first heard the term curmudgeon, as a coworker deemed herself “Captain Curmudgeon” which made me chuckle, but also think. This descriptor remains a personal […]

Continue Reading about Curmudgeonly Charm Published on:
March 15, 2019

Sometimes it seems as if civility and kindness are in exceptionally short supply today. The Internet liberates a portion of the populace from any standards of decent behavior. As I catch myself lamenting about the dark side of human nature, it helps me to think about Valentine’s Day and bear in mind that bad behavior is nothing new. “What?!” you exclaim, “Valentine’s Day? That day of chocolates and roses for sweethearts? How do snarkiness and insults apply there?” But come […]

Continue Reading about Valentines for Trolls Published on:
February 11, 2019

Is there someone on your holiday gift-buying list who deserves a memorable toy this season? I’m here to tell you to look no further than the must-have toys of yesteryear to come up with a gift that’s sure to delight—a strategy that will spare you from duking it out in the toy aisle over the latest hot plaything that’s selling at a premium. Just let the toy crazes of the past be your guide to avoiding holiday shopping stress this […]

Continue Reading about Must-Have Holiday Toys—Past, Present, and Future Published on:
November 20, 2018

In this age of sharing every idle thought online, younger generations might find it hard to believe that publicly documenting one’s own life wasn’t always the norm. The most ancient forms of memory were kept in the oral tradition, and the keepers of records were individuals entrusted with the task of memorizing details and transmitting them through recitation to others. As writing systems developed and literacy rose across the globe, the written record became the rule (and oftentimes, entire groups […]

Continue Reading about Oral Histories in the Archives Published on:
June 29, 2018

I receive a lot of strange looks whenever I tell people that I look forward to the end of summer. Perhaps your face has morphed into such an expression after reading that. But there is logic behind my claim.
It seems to me that the opportunity for play during the autumn and winter months is a bit underrated when compared to the long, bright summer days here in the Northeast. Don’t get me wrong, I agree that the transition to shorter, […]

Continue Reading about Play for All Seasons Published on:
March 10, 2017