Western-themed toys, games, comics and other kids’ products hit their height of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s alongside the TV Westerns. Yet, today they can be seen as more than just highly collectible pieces of nostalgia. The imagery and storytelling represented by these products not only helped to define the popular culture of the …

The exhibition Playing Cowboy is drawn entirely of selections from the Johnie and Bob Terry collection in Springtown, Texas. The Terrys own and operate Wild West Toys, a company that manufactures die-cast metal cap guns and molded plastic Western figures from original toy molds from the 1950s and 1960s. Bob Terry is a self-taught historian …

Since there have been children in what is now called the American West, toys have been part of their lives. These toys often helped them “become” someone else: a brave warrior, a tough cowboy, a lawman, an outlaw. With the publication of the first dime novels and the worldwide tours of Wild West shows in the …

Comic books emerged in the 1930s. Through a natural evolution, cartoons developed into comic books, first through publications containing compilations of cartoon re-prints, then as books which featured unique content. Superheroes entered the world of comic books soon after, with many of the characters having stood the test of time to become vital parts of pop culture. Join Dexter Nelson …