Kidd’s Toy Museum

Jill's Journal: In order to see antique toys like this…

You must first find this non-descript building in not-the-greatest section of Portland.

It has no windows and no identifying features other than a number and this little 8 1/2 by 11 sign on the door. It takes a good two or three minutes after knocking for the door to creak slowly open. A woman will then curtly instruct you to sign a book before she walks away, leaving you to wonder if it’s okay to look around or if you’re supposed to wait for further instruction (or if you should make a hasty exit as this feels way too “underground” and creepy for a Mom with young kids) . But by this point, it’s too late to turn around as the kids have let go of your hands and are exclaiming excitedly over ALL THE TOYS.

And there are SO many toys. Rooms full of shelves which are all full of toys, all behind glass and packed in so tightly that one couldn’t possibly absorb even half of them. Thousands upon thousands of toys. Even though they couldn’t actually touch any of the toys, the girls thought they were simply awesome.

There’s “modern” toys, like these early model Mickey Mouses. This private collection of F. E. Kidd features mainly toys from 1869 to 1939 and includes one of the nation’s foremost collections of mechanical banks. There is a section of piggy banks that made me gasp in its stunning racist portrayal (and be thankful it was above the girls’ eye level). Although I snapped a picture to show Rob, I couldn’t possibly put it up here. It’s one of the most offensive things I’ve ever seen, but children’s toys are reflections of adult morals of their time and it’s no fault of the museum as they’re simply documenting history. But WOW.

Let’s concentrate on the happy toys! This miniature Noah’s Ark could have fit in the palm of my hand and was darling.

The museum includes several patent models/molds/patterns. Really cool stuff. Commercial toy making in the U.S. began in earnest in the 1840s and really took off following the Civil War. During World War I, European exports of toys around the world all but ceased, opening the door for American toy firms. By World War II, America was the leading manufacturer of toys in the world. Today, more than 1,200 American toy producers introduce over 5,000 new toys annually.

The girls were constantly exclaiming over hundreds of toys that caught their eyes during our time at the little museum, but I loved the war banks and memorabilia the best.

My very favorite mechanical bank, bar none, was this gem from the Civil War. In addition to Lincoln holding a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, it shows the dividing line in the country between the North and the South. But most compelling, I thought, was the soldier in half Union garb and half Confederate dress. Brother against brother.

The girls loved Kidd’s Toy Museum and it really was an educational and interesting trip. However, in the future, I don’t think I’ll be knocking on too many mysterious doors like the one that led here…!