Since the publication of the first dime novels and the worldwide tours of Wild West shows in the 1880s, children across the globe have “played cowboys and Indians.” Not long after, publishers and manufacturers began producing books, games and toys capitalizing on the Western craze and targeted specifically toward children. Westerns on radio, in early silent films and in B-Westerns in the 1930s and 1940s only increased the wont for children’s Western toys. By 1959, 47 Westerns were broadcast each week on prime-time television and TV Westerns even had their own Emmy category. Children’s Western toys and costumes reached their zenith in terms of production during the 1960s. This exhibition is drawn entirely from the Johnie and Bob Terry collection from Springtown, Texas. Bob is a renowned historian of Western toys and even appeared as Woody in promotions for the “Toy Story” series. The Terrys operate Wild West Toys, a company that makes molded plastic Western figures and casts toy cap guns from the original vintage molds.
Videos are available via QR code throughout the exhibition. Guests are encouraged to bring their own headphones.
