2025 Impact Report
A Year of Impact–A Future of More Wonder and Joy
This past year at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, visitors of all ages experienced joy, discovery, and connection. Because of your commitment, exhibitions inspired curiosity, diverse programs amplified community voices, and the Museum’s extraordinary collection was preserved and shared with thousands.
Your support has laid a strong foundation for the future. As the Museum enters a new chapter as a public charity and prepares for fresh leadership, opportunities are growing to expand access, welcome new audiences, and foster creativity through the power of historically significant toys and fine-scale miniatures.
As you read this impact report, know that your generosity shapes what visitors experience today and the Museum’s vision for tomorrow. Thank you for fueling the imagination and discovery that will inspire future generations.
Because of YOU, in the past year the Museum achieved…
The Nostalgia Awakens: Retro Kenner Star Wars Action Figure Toys
May 3, 2025–January 26, 2026
The Nostalgia Awakens: Retro Kenner Star Wars Action Figure Toys captures the imagination of visitors of all ages with a display of every action figure produced by Kenner from 1978 to1985 based on the original Star Wars trilogy. The exhibition has been drawing record-breaking attendance and attracting many first-time visitors to the Museum. Its fun, immersive atmosphere was enhanced through special programs, including Meet the Experts lectures with Duncan Jenkins—a published expert and one of the top collectors of Star Wars in the world—and Jarrod Roll—the collector and curator behind this exhibition. Together, the exhibition and programs spark joy, nostalgia, and curiosity, celebrating the enduring cultural impact of Star Wars and its iconic toys while strengthening community connection to the Museum.
Museum Accessibility
The Museum is committed to making art and history accessible to everyone. Second Sunday offers a free day each month, welcoming new audiences to explore exhibitions at no cost. Through The Drop, individuals from under-resourced communities receive complimentary admission and discounted event access, expanding community engagement opportunities. Twilight at T/m, the Museum’s extended-hours program, held every third Thursday throughout the summer, provided flexible visiting times for families and working adults. Together, these initiatives have strengthened the Museum’s connection to the community, broadened audience diversity, and ensured that more people of all backgrounds can experience and enjoy the Museum’s offerings.
Local Artists Go Miniature
October 26, 2024–June 9, 2025
Local Artists Go Miniature highlighted the creativity and skill of 29 local artists, showcasing their unique miniature artworks in this juried show and engaging the community in meaningful ways. Audiences responded enthusiastically, enjoying opportunities to meet the artists at the opening reception, learn about their creative processes through curator-led panel discussions, watch filmed interviews in their studios, and participate in maker’s workshops with them. The Museum plans to hold Local Artists Go Miniature every few years to continue supporting local talent, providing new opportunities for community connection, and encouraging new ways to engage with the permanent collection of fine-scale miniatures.
Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff
June 29, 2024–March 3, 2025
Portraits of Childhood was a resounding success, drawing increased attendance and significantly expanding the Museum’s reach into traditionally underserved Kansas City neighborhoods, while fostering thoughtful dialogue on race, identity, and gender. Through the exhibition and related programming—including university partnerships, community engagement, workshops, lectures, and a national speaker series—the Museum created opportunities for educators, students, scholars, and community members to critically explore history and its impact. The culminating international Black Dolls Symposium, featuring New York Times best-selling author and Harvard professor Dr. Tiya Miles as keynote speaker, was filled to capacity and praised for its powerful content.
The Museum won awards for its contributions to the Kansas City community, including the 2025 Joseph Seabrooks Jr. Leadership Award from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), an award voted on by The African American Student Union; a Philly Award from Nonprofit Connect for the marketing campaign targeting underserved neighborhoods; the 2024 Special Recognition Award from the Greater Kansas City Attractions Association; and the American Association for State and Local History Award of Excellence, the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. With plans for a peer-reviewed publication underway, the project not only deepened visitor perspectives but also advanced scholarship and strengthened the Museum’s role as a facilitator of meaningful conversations.
Transformative Learning
The Museum’s educational programs inspired imagination, creativity, and connection for participants of all ages. The fourth annual Keisha’s Tea Party, organized with Carla Smocks in memory of her daughter Keisha Clay (1984–2019), empowered children once again to dream big through imaginative play. The Museum collaborated with local artists and cultural organizations for Art of the Imagination summer programs—including family activities, a 1st/2nd grade workshop, a week-long summer camp for 3rd-6th graders, and a teen workshop— which encouraged young learners to seek inspiration in the Museum’s collection and tell their own stories in visual form. Adults found creative opportunities with the Make and Sip workshops taught by local artists and inspired by featured exhibitions, while the monthly Story Connections program sparked moments of connection with the Museum’s collection for those living with memory loss and their caregivers.
Expanding the Collection
The Museum’s collection continues to grow, deepening and diversifying the stories shared with visitors. New acquisitions ranged from historically significant toys that reflect cultural traditions of childhood to intricate miniatures that show extraordinary artistic skill. Each piece strengthens the Museum’s ability to preserve the heritage of play and artistry while sparking wonder for future generations. These acquisitions ensure that the Museum continues to serve as a vital resource for scholarship, creativity, and imagination.
Supporting Organizations
