Don’t have a Clue what to do for your next Mystery Date night? Scrabble over to the museum on October 13, when we will team up with KC board game cafe Pawn & Pint for a Monopoly on classic board games. At $5 per person for all-you-can-play games, cider, and Halloween goodies, there’s little Risk involved. Please bring friends that are 18+ for this grown-ups-only night. $5 General Admission. Free for Members.

Get to know the experts at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures through this monthly exploration of special topics. On October 8, museum educator Katherine Mercier will trace the history of magic lanterns, fantastical devices that introduced the world to projected images and became popular Victorian toys. The program includes a lecture and gallery visit. Included with museum admission.

Presented in partnership with the International Guild of Miniature Artisans, Miniature Masterworks is a three-day event at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures featuring fine-scale miniature artists showcasing and selling their work. Attendees will be able to tour the museum’s collection of fine-scale miniatures, meet the artists, attend gallery talks and programs, and view the works presented with the Barbara Marshall Award for Artistic Achievement. Learn more on the Miniature Masterworks page.

Check one last thing off your “summer fun” list with free admission to T/m. Help the world’s smallest superhero, Miniaturia, save the museum from Giganto-Ray, a top-secret machine with evil intentions in a brand new scavenger hunt. Free parking is available in front of the museum. Additional parking is available one block east of the museum at the corner of 52nd and Cherry (Lot 32W on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus).

Explore the museum collection through gallery talks and guided tours, then visit the hands-on workshop to make your own toy or miniature. From robots to miniature rugs, each week features a new theme. Included with museum admission. Become a member today to enjoy all ten weeks for free! Recommended for ages 6 and up. Little Adventures is generously supported by the National Miniatures Trust.

T/m is proud to be a Blue Star Museum this summer and all year round! Blue Star Museums offer free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day to Labor Day. To find other Blue Star Museums near you, check out the map.

See The Wonderful Wizard of Oz come to life with puppets in a 35-minute performance that is fun for the entire family. Kraig Kensinger, a resident puppeteer at the Puppetry Arts Institute in Independence, Missouri, will present the live show with puppets from longtime museum volunteer Sally Ruddy as well as some of his own design. Included with museum admission. Space is limited. Reserve a spot today by calling (816) 235-8005 or emailing mercierk@toyandminiaturemuseum.org.

Get to know the experts at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures through this monthly exploration of special topics. On March 12, Lindsay Mican Morgan, keeper of the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago, will examine Mrs. Thorne and the role of women artists in the creation of the miniature rooms. Included with museum admission. Space is limited. Reserve a spot today by calling (816) 235-8005 or emailing mercierk@toyandminiaturemuseum.org.

Don’t have a Clue what to do for your next Mystery Date night? Scrabble over to the museum where we have a Monopoly on classic board games, including some from the Land of Oz. At $5 per person for all-you-can-play games, snacks, and hot cocoa, there’s little Risk involved. Please bring friends that are 18+ for this grown-ups only night.

New Date! Join us for a special viewing of Over the Rainbow: Toys from the Land of Oz and a complimentary pancake breakfast with the Good Witch. Enter the merry ‘ol Land of Oz for pancakes from Chris Cakes, sing-alongs, and photo opportunities. Breakfast is available for the number of people in each membership level: two, six, or twelve people per visit. Become a member today for as little as $25 to attend!

Published in 1900, L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz is considered America’s first fairy tale. Since then, the story of Dorothy’s fantastical journey through the land of Oz has enticed generations. Explore the original literary story and its many retellings, including the 1939 Technicolor film, Return to Oz, and The Wiz, through playthings, first edition books, and original costumes at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.

In Victorian photographs, children were often posed with their prized toys. During the museum’s day-after-Thanksgiving workshop, bring your favorite toy or choose one from the museum’s education collection to get your snapshot taken and turned into a faux daguerreotype. Then, decorate a case for your new portrait just like those in the temporary exhibit, Forever Young: Victorian Photographs of Children and Their Toys. Included with museum admission.

Before taking a picture was just a click of a button, having a photograph taken was serious business. A portrait was a rare record of not only an individual’s appearance, but their personality and history. Children were posed with their favorite toys giving contemporary viewers a rare glimpse into Victorian childhood. Explore over 100 photographs, including post-mortem portraits, and examples of the toys pictured.

Let the art of imagination inspire you at the museum’s first Write-In: a gathering of people writing together at the same time for fun and productivity. Find a comfy spot in the beautiful Tureman Education Center with your laptop or borrow some paper. Prompts featuring the museum collection and tours at 11am and 2pm can help get the creative juices flowing. Snacks will be provided. Included with museum admission.

Featuring the private collection of noted author, lecturer, and collector Arabella Grayson, explore the 150-year evolution of cultural images of African Americans in paper dolls from Little Black Sambo and Aunt Jemima to Jackie Robinson and Missy Elliott. Photography is not allowed in this exhibit. Learn more in the press kit.

Alan Scott Pate, the leading American authority on Japanese dolls, will give a lecture about the American/Japanese Friendship Doll Exchange of 1927 in conjunction with the museum’s special exhibit, Messengers of Goodwill. After his talk, Pate will answer questions in the exhibit gallery, which features 5 of the original Japanese Friendship Dolls, including the museum’s own Miss Fukushima. Seating is limited. RSVP 816.235.8005 or mercierk@toyandminiaturemuseum.org

Experience America’s obsession with four-wheeled vehicles big and small in an exploration of the history, design, and production of pedaled playthings. From the Garton Kiddilac to the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, see how suburban kids have rolled in style!

Discover the story of how dolls were used to mend diplomatic relations. Step into 1920s Japan and America to view five of the three-foot-tall friendship doll ambassadors reunited for the first time since 1927.

While the museum was closed for renovations, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art presented a selection of room settings, ceramics, furniture, and silver from T/m’s fine-scale miniature collection. Some of the miniatures featured were replicas of works in the permanent collection of the Nelson-Atkins.

Antiques Roadshow host Mark L. Walberg and appraiser Marshall Martin visited The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures and gave two of our dollhouses their moment in the spotlight. Don’t miss Kansas City, Hour 2 of Antiques Roadshow at 8/7c!