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Book World's Largest Toy Museum Tickets
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by Andrew Scott
From the second I saw the collage on the outside of the building featuring the Incredible Hulk, an armored knight with sword in hand and a rocket ship, I knew The World's Largest Toy Museum was just the place for me. That's not to say that the museum specifically catered to my individual tastes and childhood memories, but that it offers something for anyone looking to take a trip down memory lane. From dolls and farm toys dating back as far as the 1800's to things such as X-Men: The Movie action figures, the exhibits featured throughout the museum can conjure sentimental thoughts in everyone from the young at heart to the children of today.
Upon entering The World's Largest Toy Museum I was automatically won over by the knowledge and enthusiasm that the gentleman working the front desk had for the collection. It's nice to find someone who really enjoys what they do, and you can easily tell that the staff certainly considered the museum almost more of a way of life than a job. We were given a quick run down of what to expect throughout the museum by the gentleman, and then left to wander the massive collection at our own pace.
The first area of the museum held a wide range of toys with a general emphasis on cars, tractors and action figures. The depth of variety was really impressive. Where one person may walk through and admire the classic John Deere toy tractors and old G.I Joe action figures, the next might have childhood memories brought back by the train collection or random offerings such as the life-sized Mike Tyson mannequin.
From the first room the museum carries on with general themed areas that are too numerous to list in full. Antique fishing lures, sports memorabilia, monkeys, toy guns, Elvis, Cabbage Patch dolls, Beanie Babies and Sesame Street is just a small offering of the categories experienced. There were even extremely detailed recreations of scenes from 'A Christmas Carol' and an intricate western town complete with hand-made furniture inside the buildings.
Upon ending my journey back into childhood, the museum path led me into the gift shop. I found the gift shop to be decently extensive and a real test of will due to my tendency to make impulse purchases.
Overall, The World's Largest Toy Museum excels on two levels. It not only impresses through sentiments and romantic notions of one's own childhood, but also through the sheer size of rare toys displayed throughout. The next time you visit Branson be sure to take a detour to the past with the help of this one of a kind experience.
