Toys in the Attic Opens at the Branigan Cultural Center

The Branigan Cultural Center is pleased to announce a new exhibit, Toys in the Attic, featuring a wide range of books, toys, and games made between 1900 to the mid-1970s. All pieces in the exhibit are from the Las Cruces Museum’s permanent collection. The exhibit opens on Saturday, October 18, and runs through Saturday, January 24, 2026.

Toys have always been a universal part of the human experience with archeological evidence for toys starting in the prehistoric era and continuing through contemporary times. During these hundreds of thousands of years, toys have evolved from simple, nature-based items such as rocks, shells, and wood to more complex items like dolls and board games, and finally to the electronic and virtual games of today.

Toys in the Attic focuses on toys made between 1900 and the mid-1970s, a time when toys experienced a shift from being rare, often homemade, items to mass-produced and mass-marketed commodities. The exhibit stops before the introduction of electronic games and the radical change they caused in the toy industry. The exhibit will provide an entertaining cross-generational experience that will allow people to remember their favorite childhood toys and to spark conversations about the importance of toys, playing and playing with toys.

Visit our social media platforms @LCMuseums for information about programs related to the exhibit.

The Branigan Cultural Center is located at 501 N. Main St. and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is no admission charge. The museum is accessible from Roadrunner Transit Route 1 Stop 1. For additional information, visit the Museum website or call (575) 541-2154/TTY 711.