JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kids and those of us who are kids at heart can enjoy the new multi-floor Toytopia exhibit at the Museum of Science and History at the Southbank. It includes almost three dozen stations and lots of safety precautions in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
People relived part of their childhoods this weekend seeing everything from life-sized Connect Four and Battleship games to a huge Monopoly car with money bags.
“We have everything from the world’s largest Etch-A-Sketch to a life-sized Battleship game," Museum of Science and History CEO Bruce Fafard said.
Families played life-sized classic games, learned from interactive exhibits and tapped their way to some cool tuned on a big piano.
“We have a variety of different displays from toys through many different generations," Fafard said. "We’ll give you a little background on some of the different inventors and how the toys came about.”
Toytopia is on two floors. It includes 34 different stations and includes everything from a Toy Story station here to a life-sized dollhouse.
“Part of every learning process a child goes through play," Fafard said. "That’s really what we try to highlight here is how play can be a tool to grow and learn and interact with different surfaces, different shapes, and different kinds of toys.”
Kids of all ages can play in a full-blown 1980s arcade and get all shook up with professional Etch-A-Sketch drawings of Elvis Presley.
“We are a community resource, and it is very important to us to provide a destination for families from all different backgrounds and from all different areas," Fafard said.
MOSH will build a new facility on the Northbank, but that won't happen for some time.
“We hope to start some of the initial construction next year, but we won’t be in the new museum for another four years," Fafard said. "We’re going to continue to be here and continue to bring in world-class exhibits.”
Mosh has lots of safety precautions in place. That includes doubling hand sanitizing stations, a stylus for those who don't want to touch the exhibits, and a mask requirement for those ages 3 and older.
Click here for more information about Toytopia.