Yesteryear Funland Traveling Toy Museum

Yesteryear Funland Traveling Toy Museum Yesteryear Funland is a traveling toy museum, curating thousands of toys from early 1900s - present.

08/10/2026

Thank you Wesleyan Village in Elyria, Ohio for having us as special guest today as we presented our Popular TV & Movie Toys of The 1970's.

Yesteryearfunland.com

08/10/2026

It's Fun To Shrink!

How many of you have ever experienced the fun of shrinking a Shrinky D**k?

I can remember my aunt buying a kit for us to try!

It was so much fun to cut them out, and watching them shrink in the oven right before our eyes.

Invented in 1973, by Kate Bloomberg and Betty Morris, Shrinky D**ks, Shrinky Art, or Shrinkles as some would call them, is a toy and activity kit consisting of sheets of polystyrene which can be cut with standard household scissors.

When heated, the cut shapes become about nine times thicker while their horizontal and vertical dimensions reduce to about one-third the original size, resulting in hard, flat forms which retain their initial color and shape.

Fun Facts!

Betty Morris and Kate Bloomberg were two housewives in Brookfield, Wisconsin, invented the Shrinky D**ks as a Cub Scout project with their sons.

The first kits were sold at a local shopping mall and became very popular.

Shrinky D**ks were soon licensed to be manufactured by the major toy companies of the time such as Milton Bradley, Colorforms, Western Publishing and Skyline Toys.

The Shrink D**ks is featured as part of our "Dangerous Toys of The 20th Century" exhibit.
They are considered to be a dangerous, due to no warning labels, and children using the oven unsupervised, reaching temperatures of 275 - 325 degrees.

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08/10/2026

Thank you Keystone Pointe Assisted Living in Lagrange, Ohio for having us as special guest as we hosted out Easy Bake Oven Session!

It was a great time assisting and watching everyone make tasty treats!

Yesteryearfunland.com

08/10/2026

Wooly W***y!

How many of you ever played with a Wooly W***y Toy?

I remember my mom bought me a Wooly W***y Toy from Miller's Grocery Store in New London!

So Much fun!

I spent countless hours giving Wooly hair, beards, mustaches and fat eyebrows!

Fun Facts!

The Wooly debuted in 1955, selling for $.29 cents in stores.

The original, official version, complete with Smethport name-drop (and artist Mackowski’s signature hidden in the artwork), has sold a staggering 75 million units in the 65 years since its creation.

Wooly W***y became a hit with young baby boomers, and remains in production as of 2010 by the Smethport Specialty Company, which is now owned by PlayMonster.

On display we have a model #32 from 1974 Wooly W***y, with many modeling images.

Follow & Like Yesteryear Funland's page & visit our website for the latest toy history and back stories.

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08/10/2026

"What Ever Happened To Saturday Morning Kid TV Shows"

Saturday morning kid tv shows and cartoons are so much different today!

In the 1970s and 80s, kids looked forward to getting up on Saturday morning, and hurrying downstairs to turn on the their favorite cartoons, while viewing it through a big floor model TV.

Back then, we didnt have The Disney Channel, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon.

We had channels 3,5,8,&11, and most tvs back then didn't have remote controls.

Today, some parents and grand parents would agree that there is poor choices of kid tv shows to watch, and others don't.

Back during the days of cell animation and creative acting, artists and actors poured their hearts and souls into there work.

Teaching children honesty, integrity, respect, friendship, sportsmanship, value and good old fashion commonsense!

Today, kids have their noses barriered in their phones and tablets!

Unsupervised, they watch the foolishness and nonsense of reality, that is desensitizing them!

I have seen some of the TV shows my grandsons watch, and its nothing like what we watched during the days of bell bottoms, banana seat bicycles, and The Six Million Dollar Man.

I wish they would bring back these shows, or make ones just like them.

No C.G.I. or A.I.!

Good old fashion acting and puppetering!

Just like Star Wars, people loved the movies because of the actors, puppets, cheesie dialog, and the
great special affects!

Let's bring back the art of creative kid television!

My advice to parents, get the mobile devices out of your kids hands and invest into their time, growth and creativity!

It is up to us, to create the next generation of Jim Henson's, and George Lucas's!

Please share!

I would like to hear what everyone has to say!

What is your favorite TV show growing up?

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07/30/2026

Thank you Trustwell Clyde Gardens in Clyde, Ohio for having us as special guest today as we present Groovy Toys of The 1960's exhibit.

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07/26/2026

Happy Christmas In July

Part 2

"How Christmas In July Began."

Yesterday, we shared the first part of our story, "How Christmas In July Began."

Quick recap, on July 24th and 25th in 1933 the holiday started at a girl's camp called Keystone Camp, in Brevard, North Carolina, founded by "Miss Fannie Holt", the camps original co-founder.

Then It Happened!

On October 18, 1940, "Christmas In July", staring Dick Powell, written and directed by Preston Sturges, Distributed by Paramount Pictures.

It was because of the movie the rest of the country started celebrating.

In 1942, a Washington, D.C. church started a summer donation drive, gathering holiday gifts to send to missions around the world in time for Christmas, calling it Christmas in July.

At the same, The U.S. Post Office started a similar drive, mailing gifts to soldiers fighting in the second World War.

The Christmas in July concept was so catchy that retailers started using it.

More and more, companies created ways to leverage the whimsical idea of merging 100-degree days with hot cocoa and Santa.

In 2012, The Hallmark Channel used the holiday as marketing strategy to increase the number of viewers and ratings.

Today, Christmas in July is celebrated around the world, reaching as far as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

It has become a tradition that by some is celebrated the whole month July, and will continue for decades to come.

Yesteryearfunland.com

07/25/2026

Christmas In July!

Ever wonder how Christmas in July Began?

Christmas in July started decades ago on July 24th and 25th in 1933 at a girl's camp called Keystone Camp, in Brevard, North Carolina.

According to the camp's 100th Anniversary Celebration Book, the first time anyone celebrated "Christmas in July" was at Keystone, per the request of camp co-founder Fannie Holt.

It was said that Fannie Holt was a whimsical, dreaming, creative type who added all of this uniqueness to the camps program."

At Camp Keystone, instead of the cabins being numbered to identify them, Fannie changed them to fun names, such as Crabapple, Skylark, and Crow's Nest.

And, instead of junior and senior campers, there were Elves, Pixies, and Dryads."

The first Christmas in July included carolers, a Christmas tree, Santa Claus, presents, and fake snow made of cotton.

As the tradition evolved, campers would use laundry bags as makeshift stockings, which they placed outside their cabins to be filled with candy overnight.

Eventually, elves, reindeer, and Mrs. Claus joined the act, along with a camp-wide gift exchange, counselors included.

Page Lemel, who is the fourth generation in her family to hold the title of director, said the gifts were crafty and creative.

Today, Christmas In July is celebrated nationally by children of all ages.

It has been a major staple as a cultural tradition, and a phenomenon among all who carry the spirit of Christmas in their hearts all year long.

Happy Christmas In July Everyone!

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07/25/2026

Thank you Mentor Ridge in Mentor Ohio for having us as special guest today, as we present our Dangerous Toys of The 20th Century.

Visit our website for more information or contact the office to schedule our most popular exhibit.

Yesteryearfunland.com

07/24/2026

Thank you Providence Care in Sandusky, Ohio for having us as special guest today as we present Those Wonderful Toys of Disney Exhibit.

For more information visit our website or contact our office at 419-502-6001.

Yesteryearfunland.com

Address

Sandusky, OH
44870

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 3am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

+14195026001

Website

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