I love toys, don’t you? And while Star Wars toys will always have a special place in my heart, it’s comic book toys that really have me making mad dashes to the store looking for special releases or rarities. I know you’ve probably got a favorite toy line or series that makes you feel like a kid again, right? Well, chances are that The Austin Toy Museum has at least a few pieces of memorabilia from your childhood in their stockpile.

The collection is already assembled and ready to be displayed…which brings us to the reason for this Kickstarter campaign. They need a little help finding the perfect place so the public can come and enjoy themselves while being surrounded by all this awesomeness. They aren’t just looking to toss these collectibles into cases and call it done; they are hellbent on creating some awesome dioramas and displays to really jumpstart your childhood nostalgia. Why should you help? Read on to find out more and watch their Kickstarter video!

Starting this museum is no easy task, but luckily these folks have a game plan. They are wanting to register The Austin Toy Museum as a non-profit organization so it can be around for a long time and allow future additions to their collection. And as with everything else, location is extremely important so they are tasked with picking out the perfect spot for us to visit. They also want to seal the displays to protect the toys from degradation, so the cases will have to be purchased and the dioramas built.

But most remarkable of all, these peeps want to give you a chance to be active and interactive with the toys. They’ll be setting up different ways you can research and learn more about your favorite playthings. They’ll even be giving instruction on how to build your own award-winning (possibly) setups! In addition to the physical aspects of the museum, digitizing and archiving information is an important step to protecting the knowledge presented so there will be a lot of online services available, too! Some of these toys date back to the early 1900s, though most are from the ’60s through the ’90s.

Sounds like a fun time for all, huh? Unfortunately, they are going to need a little help financially to bring The Austin Toy Museum to a public forum. Now before you get all antsy, realize that every single dollar helps them reach their goal. No donation is too small and many of you can earn some great rewards for helping these folks out.

For instance, five dollars gets you an admission ticket, a bumper sticker, and your name on the donor wall! Fifteen smackers gets you three times the tickets and stickers and even includes three tickets to the Grand Opening Party! I personally dropped twenty bucks so I could get four admission tickets, four bumper stickers, four Grand Opening entries, and four names on the donor wall! Other rewards include rare signed pieces of toy history, Special Event passes, and even several different size personal diorama areas where you can feature your own toys! There are far more treats to be found on the official Kickstarter page so you can definitely find something that appeals to you!

The concept here is to make this one of the largest toy museums in the world. And it’s totally doable, with a little help from you. Check out the video below that I think will give you a great idea of what these folks are trying to accomplish, and be sure to swing by the Kickstarter page.

There is so much history in the toys of our youth, it would be a shame to not be able to show the children of tomorrow what toys influenced their parents and grandparents. Besides, once this place is open, you’ll probably be pushing your face up against the glass oohing and aahing over toys you forgot you used to have! Go check it out soon, though, as this campaign ends June 22nd! And don’t forget to tell your friends, too!!!

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