State history museum wants to hear your toy stories about Baby Boomer-era playthings

The N.C. Museum of History is on the hunt for memories and photos of toys that North Carolinians played with during the Baby Boom era - from the late 1940s through the 1960s. The stories and artifacts could be included in an exhibit called Toy Boom, which will open at the downtown Raleigh museum in October 2019.

"The exhibit itself is really talking about the national story of toys during that period," said Katie Edwards, the museum's pop culture curator. "We wanted to include some local stories of North Carolinians who grew up here."

The post-World War II period included plenty of anxiety and abundance. It was the start of the Cold War and atomic age. Sen. Joseph McCarthy was carrying out his campaign against alleged communists. Soon after, the Civil Rights Movement launched. So did the Vietnam War and space race.

Meanwhile, at home, people had more money to spend than ever before and they were becoming glued to a newfangled appliance - the television.

"There was so much craziness going on," Edwards said. "... I'm interested in what we were telling our kids at the time and what we were conveying to them through toys."

Edwards said the exhibit, which will spread across about 3,000 square feet in a third floor exhibit space, will be interactive once it opens with opportunities to play with some toys. Admission will be free.