Every Scale Curiosity at 2025 ANNUAL REPORT
Bold Future
A child presses her nose to the glass, transfixed by a checkerboard no bigger than a thumbnail. A grandfather stops, mid-stride, pulls his grandchild close, and says, “I had one of those!” These are the moments we live for.
In 2025, The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures welcomed visitors into a world where the smallest objects carry the biggest stories—and left them changed. This was a year of bold steps forward. Our collection grew. Our community expanded. Our vision sharpened. The wonder, as always, was in the details.
Tiny Details Transformative Impact
A Letter from Patricia Cecil, Executive Director
Barbara Hall Marshall was a child who loved small things. Every Christmas, while others reached for the largest box, she waited for the smallest gift—the one her father, J.C. Hall, knew she wanted most. Mary Harris Francis arrived at a similar understanding differently: a crate in her driveway in 1974, her first antique dollhouse. She assured her husband she’d “never need another.” She would, of course, collect many more.
Together, they built a place where toys and miniatures are honored, interpreted, and shared. A place where beloved things illuminate who we are and where we come from.
I came to this role in January 2026, stepping into an institution held steady through transition by a remarkable staff, a committed board, and a community that never wavered. I arrived not to reinvent what Marshall and Francis built, but to carry it forward with the same curiosity and care. The momentum was already there.
The Nostalgia Awakens: Retro Kenner Star Wars Action Figure Toys—our exhibition featuring every Star Wars action figure produced by Kenner from 1978 to 1985—drew a full house on opening night, with a line of eager visitors waiting to enter. The buzz was electric. For many visitors it was a homecoming: finding something they have loved since childhood, honored in our galleries. That is the experience the Museum exists to create—and the reason your support matters.
You made Story Connections possible—a monthly program for those experiencing memory loss and their caregivers. This meaningful experience was supported by the Heart of America Chapter of The Alzheimer’s Association, the I’m Still Here Foundation, and a generous private donor. Participants share a 30-minute, object-based gallery tour, then gather for refreshments and hands-on activities in our education space. Objects unlock memory, memory opens conversation, and conversation becomes connection. Our collection does not just preserve the past: it reaches people right where they are.
Second Sundays, a free admission day every second Sunday of the month, delighted new audiences with the marvels of toys and fine-scale miniatures.
The pages that follow highlight the difference your support made in 2025, and the momentum carrying us into 2026. The Museum’s future is not built by staff and board alone. It is built by donors whose generosity makes access a reality. By members who return, year after year, because this place holds something they love. By community partners who believe, as we do, that toys and miniatures carry big stories.
Barbara Hall Marshall knew the smallest gift was the most meaningful. Mary Harris Francis knew a wellloved toy is never just a toy: it is a relationship, a memory, a thread connecting us to something larger. We carry those truths into 2026 with gratitude, and with confidence in what this community will make possible next.
With curiosity, clarity, and great excitement for what’s ahead—
Patricia Cecil Executive Director | The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
A Snapshot of Success
Behind every number is a person. A school group that squeezed in close to examine a 1:12-scale kitchen. A caregiver and her mother, joyfully sharing memories in Story Connections. A teenager who walked out of summer camp calling himself an artist. These are the people for whom our mission is built. And, in 2025, we reached more of them than ever.
MISSION
The mission of The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures is to educate, inspire, and delight people of all ages by collecting, displaying, and interpreting toys and miniatures that illuminate diverse narratives and cultural heritage.
VISION
The Museum’s vision embraces a dynamic fusion of creativity and storytelling, showcasing toys and miniatures of both artistic mastery and historical significance.
38,187
ANNUAL VISITORS
102,530
OBJECTS IN THE COLLECTION
378 Active
MUSEUM MEMBERS
990 VOLUNTEER HOURS
25 VOLUNTEERS
65 PROGRAMS
Expanding Our Reach
5,713 INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS +17% INCREASE FROM 2024
1,092 LINKEDIN FOLLOWERS
10,355 FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS
441 TWITTER (X) FOLLOWERS +6% INCREASE FROM 2024 +1% INCREASE FROM 2024 +37% INCREASE FROM 2024
Continuing to Grow
+5% INCREASE FROM 2024
7,874 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS
+23% INCREASE FROM 2024
269,331 WEBSITE PAGEVIEWS
The Joy of the Toy The Love of the Tiny
Every object in the Museum has a story. Our exhibitions exist to tell them. Three major shows in 2025 took visitors from a galaxy far, far away to the intimate histories of Black dolls, to dazzling miniature worlds built by local Kansas City artists. Each show asked visitors to look closer—and look differently.
May 3, 2025–May 4, 2026
The Nostalgia Awakens: Retro Kenner Star Wars Action Figure Toys
This exhibition drew visitors who hadn’t been inside a museum in years, and children who had never heard of a Wookie. The Nostalgia Awakens traced the full arc of the Kenner Star Wars action figure toy line: the design decisions, the cultural impact, the way plastic figures became objects of genuine emotional weight. People stood in front of the cases, remembering Christmases, birthdays, and their next-door neighbor. These moments brought together generations and breathed new life into the Star Wars universe, right within our gallery walls.
October 26, 2024–June 9, 2025
Local Artists Go Miniature
Countless extraordinary artists call Kansas City home. Local Artists
Go Miniature gave them a single constraint—work small—and then let the magic happen. The results ranged from the hyperrealistic to the surreal, each piece bearing the unmistakable signature of an individual creative vision. For many artists in the exhibition, it was the first time seeing their work in a museum setting, leaving them feeling inspired for what comes next in their careers.
June 29, 2024–March 3, 2025
Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff
Portraits of Childhood debuted with an already growing national reputation, and left a lasting legacy on our collection. Drawn from Deborah Neff’s private collection, the exhibition presented Black dolls as a foundation for learning and reflection: objects that reveal how race, gender, and identity are constructed, contested, and reclaimed in American life. Visitors recognized themselves, their childhoods, their worlds within these handmade Black dolls. Conversations started in the galleries and resonated far beyond the Museum.
Where Memories Take Shape
The Museum’s collection initiatives continue to enrich our stories and expand opportunities for learning. These additions help preserve history, inspire curiosity, and create meaningful experiences for visitors of all ages.
NEW ACQUISITIONS
This year, the Museum added objects that matter: unique miniature masterworks, toys that carry cultural weight, and pieces that represent voices long underrepresented in collections like ours. The Museum chose each acquisition not just for its intricate detail or rarity, but for the story it tells. The collection now stands at 102,530 objects. Each one is a window into someone’s world.
ENGAGE BY CELL
No more searching for a label and wondering. In 2025, the Museum launched Engage by Cell, a mobile interpretation program that puts the story behind every miniature directly in a visitor’s hand. Point your phone, pull up the text, and the object speaks. Beginning with the miniature galleries, the program will expand across the full collection—making every visit more accessible, more vivid, and more alive.
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS DATABASE
Over one hundred thousand objects— and soon, you can dive into the details anywhere. In 2025, the Museum began building a collections database, with the first objects going live in February 2026. Whether you’re a researcher in another city, a teacher building a lesson, or simply a curious soul at home, the collection will be yours to explore.
SCAN TO VIEW DATABASE
Big Ideas Bigger Impact
A museum that displays objects is only half a museum. In 2025, our programs turned visitors into active participants, scholars into collaborators, children into makers, and caregivers into storytellers. Through a landmark international symposium, K-12 workshops, after-hours Make and Sips, and a monthly sanctuary for those living with memory loss, the Museum met its community where they were and invited them into a world of discovery.
BLACK DOLLS SYMPOSIUM
What does a doll teach a child about who they are— and who they can become? That question animated a Symposium for Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff, which gathered scholars, collectors, and artists from across the globe for a day of reflection and celebration. MacArthur Fellow and National Book Award winner Dr. Tiya Miles delivered the keynote speech, setting the tone for conversations that wove together history, identity, race, and the surprising power of handmade objects.
ART OF THE IMAGINATION: SUMMER PROGRAMS
Inspired by the intergalactic universe of The Nostalgia Awakens, Art of the Imagination: Summer Programs brought kids into the Museum not just to look, but to make. A full week of summer camp filled the galleries with the excitement of young people immersed in a creative project.
• First and Second Grade Workshop
• Summer Camp: Beyond the Galaxies
• Teen Drawing Workshops
• Family Drop-Ins
KEISHA’S TEA PARTY
Part gallery tour, part afternoon tea, part mirror held up to the best possible version of yourself. Keisha’s Tea Party brought children ages 6–12 into the Museum for a magical afternoon of enchanted play. Built around Keisha Clay’s Barbie Dreamhouse and her vision to do more for others, docents led small groups through the galleries. Joyful, posh, and profound— the celebratory tea party created space for conversations about dreaming big and knowing your own worth.
MAKE AND SIPS
With wine in hand and an accomplished artist to guide you, Make and Sips turned the Museum into a studio each night. Guests were immersed in hands-on, multimedia workshops featuring still life painting, paper-folding, and printmaking. The room vibrated with creativity, and attendees left with their own unique works of art.
• Chandra Beadleston
• MacKenzie Fulmer
• Hilari Holt
MEET THE MAKERS
Meet the Makers brought the creators from Local Artists Go Miniature into direct conversation with visitors. This series of dynamic panel discussions gave the artists a platform to share unique insights into their work, process, and the obsessions that inspired them to work in miniature.
MEET THE EXPERTS
This speaker series brought specialists face-toface with visitors for conversations that cracked open the collection in exciting new ways. Star Wars collectors explored all corners of the galaxy, sharing perspectives about The Nostalgia Awakens: Retro Kenner Star Wars Action Figure Toys and their own epic journey to acquire a complete collection of Kenner action figure toys.
• Duncan Jenkins
• Jarrod Roll
ARTS & CULTURE DISCOVERY SERIES
The Museum doesn’t exist in isolation—it lives in a city rich with artists, musicians, and cultural influencers. The Arts & Culture Discovery Series brought that community to the Museum’s doorstep. Each evening was an opportunity to discover something you’ve never experienced before at one of Kansas City’s favorite institutions—The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
• Ensemble Ibérica
• Calvin Arsenia
• Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery
STORY CONNECTIONS
An object can unlock a memory that nothing else can reach. Story Connections, the Museum’s monthly program for individuals living with memory loss and their caregivers, is built on that truth. Each month, participants gathered to engage with objects, share stories, and simply be together in a space that held them warmly. Story Connections helps build a bridge—back to themselves, back to each other.
GROUP TOURS
Schools, nonprofits, community groups, and more—each group got a guided experience tailored to who they are and what they came to find. Our docents know how to read a room: slowing down for the second grader who can’t stop staring, finding the hook for the grown-up who wants context. For many, it was their first visit to the Museum. We take providing that joy seriously.
1,610
VISITORS
RECEIVED A GUIDED TOUR
Opening Doors Expanding Stories
A collection this extraordinary shouldn’t be a privilege. In 2025, the Museum put that conviction into practice by expanding evening hours, growing community partnerships, and opening our doors free of charge to thousands of Kansas City residents who might not otherwise have walked through them. Access isn’t an afterthought here. It’s a commitment.
ARTSKC: THE DROP
Through ArtsKC’s The Drop—a program that provides free admission and exclusive discounts to arts and cultural experiences across Kansas City—the Museum reached people who had every reason to come but needed one more nudge. Once people were inside, the collection did the rest. Together, we’re building a welcoming community of museum-goers.
TWILIGHT AT T/M
Not everyone can come on a weekday morning. Twilight at T/m, our monthly Thursday evening summer extension, was designed for the working parent, the couple on date night, and the student whose schedule doesn’t fit regular museum hours. Five evenings in 2025. Five opportunities to experience the collection as an evening respite.
SECOND SUNDAY FREE DAY
On the second Sunday of every month, Museum admission is free. No barriers, just open doors. In 2025, Second Sundays allowed the Museum to welcome visitors who otherwise might have hesitated. Families who’d never been. Young couples on tight budgets. Firsttimers who might become regulars. Every one of them is exactly who the Museum is for.
INCOME
COUNTY
STATE
90% of visitors are low to middle income
10% of visitors are high income
36% Jackson County, MO
30% Johnson County, KS
30% rural counties within one hour drive
4% Wyandotte County, KS 83% Missouri or Kansas
out-of-state
TOP ZIP CODES
The top five zip codes for Second Sunday Free Day were in Jackson County and Platte County, Missouri and included:
1. 64111
2. 64110
3. 64112
4. 64113
5. 64152
Numbers that Tell a Story
Every dollar here has a story. It paid for the summer camper who’d never held a paintbrush. It created a space of celebration for those that are one with the Force. It brought a nationally renowned scholar to Kansas City to talk about Black dolls and American history. The numbers speak to our commitment.
AUDIT
The Museum received a clean audit opinion, affirming strong financial stewardship and sound fiscal management. This outcome reflects careful oversight, transparency, and responsible use of resources in support of the Museum’s mission.
$1,315,635 contributed $351,631 earned
$19,050 MEMBERSHIP REVENUE
$195,950 GRANT REVENUE
EXPENSES
$122,848 exhibitions
$121,719 administrative
$45,602 fundraising
$37,598 programming
Honoring the Past Investing in the Next Chapter
None of this happens without you. These exhibitions, the programs, the open doors on Second Sundays—every experience this year was made possible by the generosity of our donors, members, and sponsors. Your gifts don’t just fund programs. They fund the moment a visitor discovers something they didn’t know they loved.
The Museum’s Supporters
$100,000+
Anonymous Donor
Margaret Silva
$10,000+
City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist
Development Fund
Edward F. Swinney Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee
Estelle S. and Robert A. Long Ellis Foundation
David V. and Janis Francis, the Francis Foundation
J. Scott Francis, the Francis Family Foundation
Hallmark Corporate Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Lifted Logic*
Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation
$5,000+
Bill and Carlene Hall
Mike and Marlys Haverty
I’m Still Here Foundation
R.A. Long Foundation
Shirley and Barnett Helzberg Foundation
Susan Stanton
Travois, Inc.*
$1,000+
Elizabeth Amirahmadi
Association of Professional Model Makers
Commerce Bancshares Foundation*
Julia and Gregory Gargallo
Barnett and Shirley Helzberg
Anne Manning
Marshall Miller and Kathleen Kilway
Missouri Arts Council
Michael Murphy and Kitty Gordy
Barbara Nelson
Virginia Otto
W. Keith and Margaret Pence
Margaret Perkins-McGuinness
Saralyn Reece Hardy
Shook, Hardy & Bacon*
Charlie and Jeanne Sosland
Tepa Companies*
Dr. R. Wayne and Joyce Thompson
Corey and Joe Ziegler
COLLECTION DONORS
Rachel Abbott
Amanda and Roger Allman
Kathy Blair
Duncan and Kathy Burdette
Scott Butterfield
Joseph Carlani
Margot Chamberlain
Steve Dailey
Anonymous Donor
Vickie Lee Dow
Sharon Farris
Charlotte Folsom
Diane Gaffield
Phyllis Giffin
Marian Goodding
Jennifer Hagman
Karen Harper
Shirley Bush Helzberg
Jacquelyn Hershewe
Hilltop Guild of Allenspark Colorado
Robin Jackson
Ronald Janicki
Amy Johnson
Sarah Judd
Mattel, Inc.
Stacey McVey
Elizabeth Miller
Nancy and Diane Husk Minster
Oona O’Neill
Jane Olsen
Jessie Ong
Tiara Paris
Alicia Parr
Richard Parr
Linda Peterson
Cathy Radek
Lindsay Ramon
Ginger Riddle
Sondra Troup
Jana Wade
Kathy Walker
Susan Welsh
Mary and Bert Wiegand
*Corporate sponsor
Making Memories Building What Matters
A museum is only as strong as the people who believe in it. Our Board brings legal expertise, philanthropic leadership, educational vision, and deep roots in Kansas City. Our staff—sixteen people who collectively hold more institutional knowledge than any org chart can capture, show up every day and make it real. Together, we’re building what matters.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: OFFICERS
Anne Manning (Chair)
Deputy Director, Learning and Engagement, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Susan Stanton (Vice Chair) Community Volunteer, Representative for the Francis Family Foundation
Corey Ziegler (Past Chair) Chief Legal Officer, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
Al Mauro (Treasurer) Chief Executive Officer, Chinquapin Trust Company
Rachel Sterbenz (Secretary) Shareholder, Seigfreid Bingham
AT LARGE DIRECTORS
Elizabeth Amirahmadi
Founding Partner, International Architects Atelier
Wolfe Brack
Co-Director, InterUrban ArtHouse
Dr. Antonio Byrd
Assistant Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, UMKC
Consuelo Cruz
Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement, Belger Cartage Service, Inc.
Saralyn Reece Hardy
Director, Spencer Museum of Art
Siobhan McLaughlin Lesley
Vice President for Advancement, The Barstow School
Troy Lillebo
Associate Vice Chancellor, External Relations, UMKC
Margaret Perkins-McGuinness
Principal Advisor, MPM & Co.
STAFF
Patricia Cecil, Executive Director
Cole Braun, Development Associate
Calleen Carver, Collection Manager
Jenny Cox, Visitor Services Representative
Mandy Farrow, Lead Visitor Services Representative
Jill Grotzinger, Director of Development
Nicholette Haigler, Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications
Lori Holstrom, Museum Registrar
Camille Johnson, Assistant Curator
Emma Kitteringham, Museum Educator, Volunteers and Group Tours
Amy McKune, Curator / Senior Manager of Collections
Faith Ordonio, Museum Educator, K-12 and Family Programs
Carlos Ortiz-Gallo, Assistant Curator
Dr. Madeline Rislow, Curator / Senior Manager of Learning and Engagement
Sonia Smith, Strategic Administrative Coordinator
Sierra Terry, Visitor Services Representative
The Next Chapter of Wonder
The best is ahead. Three major exhibitions on the horizon, a reimagined gallery in the making, and a growing audience hungry for what only the Museum can offer. We have earned the right to be ambitious—and we intend to be.
NATIVE PEOPLES GALLERY
March 2027
Building on the momentum of Native Arts in Miniature, a major exhibition that opened in March 2026, the reimagined Native Peoples Gallery will celebrate the creativity, diversity, and voices of Native artists working in fine-scale miniature. Opening in 2027, this gallery is being built in genuine partnership with Native advisors, artists, and community members. The space will be transformed into a dynamic experience that reflects the full richness of Native artistry across regions and cultures.
SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS
May 2027
For anyone who ever ate cereal in pajamas in front of a television—this one’s for you. Care Bears, He-Man, Alvin and the Chipmunks, DuckTales, The Smurfs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers… Saturday Morning Cartoons will explore the golden age of animated programming and the toys it spawned: the characters, the jingles, and the stories told through these childhood icons. But it will also ask a harder question: how did changes in television regulation reshape what children watched, and what they were sold?
BILL ROBERTSON RETROSPECTIVE
Fall 2027
Bill Robertson works at a scale that defies comprehension and captures imaginations. His miniatures evoke precision, detail, and beauty—immersing visitors in a captivating world that truly pulls you in. The Bill Robertson Retrospective, opening fall 2027, will be an extensive survey of his life’s work: a chance to trace the arc of a singular artistic vision and understand, at last, how he does it.
Image Credits
Imani Doll, 1992, Olmec Toys Inc., United States
Wooden Chest, 2007, James Hastrich, American
View-Master, c. 1973, GAF Corporation, United States
Baby Nauga, 1967, Uniroyal Engineered Products, United States
Bonsai Tree, 2004, Hiroyuki Kimura, Japanese
Princess Leia Figure, 1978–1985, Kenner Products, United States
Miniature Book: “Covered Bridges of Oregon,” 1982, Suzanne Fisher Welt (author) and Miriam Irwin (publisher), American
The Portrait of Fritza Riedler, 2018, Elly Ypma, Dutch
Studiolo Gubbio, 2004, Barry Hipwell, English (walls), Ursula Dyrbye-Skovsted, Danish (ceiling), Nic Stowe, French (floor tiles), and Johannes Landman, Dutch (working in Canada) (paintings)
Wonder Woman, 1972, Mego Corp., United States (Made in Hong Kong)
Katsina Carving, 2000, Preston Duwyenie, Hopi
Architect’s Classroom circa 1900, 1988–1993, William R. Robertson, American
Photography by Lifted Logic
Photography by Nicholette Haigler
Photography by Jason Dailey
Photography by Mark McDonald
Rendering of Native Peoples Gallery by International Architects Atelier
