MISSION
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures educates, inspires, and delights adults and children through the museum’s collection and preservation of toys and miniatures.
HISTORY
T/m was established in 1982 as the Miniature Museum of Kansas City, featuring the collections of Mary Harris Francis and Barbara Hall Marshall. Operating in the historic Tureman Mansion on the corner of 52nd and Oak on the University of Missouri – Kansas City campus, the 7,500-square-foot museum had two full-time staff members.
Over the next thirty years with expansions in 1989 and 2004, the museum grew to 33,000 square feet. During the same period, the collection increased to over 72,000 objects. In 2012, the museum embarked on its first public capital campaign to raise $10.2 million to support building and exhibit improvements. The campaign raised $10.73 million, and the museum began a 19-month renovation in 2014.
The museum reopened as The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures on August 1, 2015, with the world’s largest fine-scale miniature collection and one of the nation’s largest historic toy collections on public display. T/m’s collection currently numbers more than 86,000 objects.
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1982
T/m was established as the Miniature Museum of Kansas City
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1989
Museum expansion
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2004
The museum grew to 33,000 square feet during another expansion. With this expansion, the museum was able to increase its collection to feature over 72,000 objects
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2005
Mary Harris Francis (founder) passes away
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2010
Barbara Hall Marshall (founder) retires
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2012
The museum embarked on its first public capital campaign to raise $10.2 million to support building and exhibit improvements
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2014
Raising $10.73 million, the museum began a 19-month renovation
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2015
The museum reopened as The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, with the world's largest fine-scale miniature collection and one of the nation's largest historic toy collections on public display
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2016
Toys from the Attic exhibit receives Leadership in History Merit Award from the American Association of State and Local History
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2018
Playing for Keeps: The VFW Marble Tournaments, 1947-1962, exhibit receives Leadership in History Merit Award from the American Association of State and Local History
our staff
ADMINISTRATION
DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING
Jayson Hajdu, Marketing and Communications Strategist
jahtgd@toyandminiaturemuseum.org (816) 235-8009INTERPRETATION & EDUCATION
VISITOR SERVICES
Silvia Maldonado, Visitor Services Representative
maldonados@toyandminiaturemuseum.org (816) 235-8010board of directors
T/M FOUNDERS Mary Harris Francis, Barbara Hall Marshall
OFFICERS Kim West (Chair), Lori Beam (Vice Chair), Rachel Sterbenz (Secretary), Petra Kralickova (Assistant Secretary)
BOARD Karen Christiansen, Scott Francis, William A. Hall, Teresa Martinez, Tim McQuaid, Margaret Silva, Robert Simmons, Jean-Paul Wong, Corey Ziegler
HONORARY DIRECTOR David Francis, Emeritus
Careers
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining a highly qualified workforce and offers a variety of career opportunities. At T/m, employment is much more than just work. Employees enrich and develop their love of museums, history, and art while contributing their specific skills and talents to the museum mission.
The museum is an equal opportunity employer.
Thank you for your interest in working at the museum. There are no current openings.
press
For further information or to schedule a press visit, please contact Marketing & Communications Strategist Jayson Hajdu at jahtgd@toyandminiaturemuseum.org or 816-235-8009.
PRESS KITS
Museum Fact Sheet 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY
For hi-res images of the museum and collection, please contact Marketing & Communications Strategist Jayson Hajdu at jahtgd@toyandminiaturemuseum.org or 816-235-8009.
Please review the museum’s photography rights and permissions.
ANNUAL REPORTS & FINANCIALS
2018 Audit
2018 990
2017 Audit
2017 900
