Uncategorized Archive

By Adam Nedeff, Researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
Stay up to date with the world of game shows and The Strong’s National Archives of Game Show History with this recurring blog. This month, learn about the return of ABC’s The Chase and the history of “beat the expert” games. (Bob Boden, one of the Archive’s cofounders, produced the original U.S. version of The Chase in 2014.)
The Chase is returning to ABC for a third season. Twenty episodes […]

Continue Reading about Game Show Updates: The Chase is Back On! Published on:
March 29, 2022

By Adam Nedeff, Researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
The Strong launched the National Archives of Game Show History in 2021 to collect, preserve, and help tell the story of this playful television genre. To stay up to date with the Archives and happenings in the world of game shows, check out a new, recurring feature in the museum’s e-newsletter and accompanying blog posts:
When Michael Strahan walks onto the stage of The $100,000 Pyramid on April 23, […]

Continue Reading about Game Show News: Pyramid Begins 50th Season! Published on:
February 24, 2022

While two versions of Police Academy are known to have been created at Atari, no playable versions had yet to be found. Within the Atari Coin-Op Division Corporate Records at The Strong, more than just a single playable version was founding, giving a glimpse into the creation of a long-lost video game.
By Andrew Borman

Continue Reading about Game Saves: Police Academy for NES Published on:
December 2, 2021

On November 4, 2022, the board game Risk joined the other celebrated toys and games in the National Toy Hall of Fame. But that accolade only confirmed what someone like John Crocker knew—Risk is a great game. Crocker served in the United States Air Force during the Gulf War, from 1990–1991. His squad stumbled upon a Risk board game. He said,
“During our time in the Gulf we must have played 50 (heated) games of Risk. Fast forward to our 25 year Gulf war […]

Continue Reading about Risk: Playing War with Family and Friends Published on:
November 18, 2021

Ralphie: “No, no! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!”
Santa Claus: “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.”
This iconic scene from A Christmas Story—Ralphie blurting out to the department store Santa that what he really, really wanted for Christmas was a BB gun—maintains icon status because it is universally relatable. There are toys that kids wish for with such passion that they can think of nothing else and cannot be dissuaded from with logic or reason. […]

Continue Reading about Elevators and Electricity: The Toys I Always Wanted Published on:
October 21, 2021

In a recent American Journal of Play article, psychologist Peter Gray draws on surveys with U.S. children and parents to suggest that in the earliest months of the pandemic lockdown, many children who had increased time to play, more time with their families, and opportunities to contribute constructively to family life, showed improved mental well-being. This research got me thinking about my own children’s play experiences during the pandemic. I thought about how their play endured under difficult circumstances and […]

Continue Reading about The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Persistence of Children’s Play Published on:
September 8, 2021

Staff from The Strong explore the unique challenges of preserving Nutting Associates’ 1967 coin-operated game Computer Quiz and the reel of film inside.

Continue Reading about Game Saves: Preserving the Film of Computer Quiz Published on:
August 5, 2021

“I love songs!”
This short phrase is something I’ve been known to say (or occasionally shout) with great enthusiasm. Yes, I could simply say I love music, but that wouldn’t encompass all of those catchy little improvised (and largely a cappella) ditties made up with friends or family while driving, working, cooking, or whenever else inspiration may strike. The word “songs” seems more fitting given the broader creative terrain it covers. Not to mention, most people chuckle or at least crack […]

Continue Reading about Play It Again: Enjoying Music Through the Ages Published on:
May 15, 2018

“I knit so I don’t kill people.”
You can buy a mug, a tote bag, or a shirt with this phrase emblazoned on it. You can meet a handful of fellow knitters out on the town for World Wide Knit in Public Day or you can share your projects and patterns with the 5.5 million registered users of Ravelry, the social media site for knitters and crocheters. Surprised? You shouldn’t be: knitting, along with other “domestic hobbies,” is exceedingly popular, and […]

Continue Reading about Domestic Hobbies: The Search for Calm in Life’s Storms Published on:
July 15, 2016