Gifford’s Toys on Display at an Austin Museum’s Airport Exhibit

I like to joke that I’m so old that my toys are in a museum. It’s funny because it’s true, my toys are on display at the Texas Toy Museum in Austin and now at the Austin-Bergstom International Airport (AUS).

It’s really wild how things that happen by chance or on a whim, can really make a big change in your life.

Backstory time... Several years ago I saw a Facebook post seeking artists to participate in an art fair at a toy museum.

I walked into the Texas Toy Museum and found people that were as knowledgable and excited about old toys as I was. The museum had all kinds of toys from my childhood, Star Wars, He-Man and Thundercats but there weren’t as many girl toys. So I wanted to help fix that issue. I loaned or donated a bunch of toys that I had kept as a kid, including my prized My Little Pony collection. In the ‘80s, I was obsessed with My Little Pony toys. I had the My Little Pony stable and costumes. I even collected “Horseshoe Points” also known as “Pony Points” to get special edition ponies in the mail.

Caleb Zammit, the founder of the Texas Toy Museum built a special case to display the My Little Pony toys that I loaned and others donated.

The Texas Toy Museum is a nonprofit museum organized to collect, preserve, display and educate the community on the historic significance and cultural impact of rare and vintage toys. They have thousands of toys and games on display as well as a classic arcade room. They also sell vintage toys and games in their gift shop, and host weekly educational classes from resin casting to toy restoration.

When I brought my toys to the Texas Toy Museum, Caleb warned me that there was a good chance that they might want to send my toys to be displayed in guest exhibits.

Last week, Caleb messaged me that the My Little Pony toys were going to the Austin airport to be part of a special display from the Texas Toy Museum. I am beyond thrilled.

The Texas Toy Museum display is part of the Changing Exhibits Program and is on view now at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) until the end of October 2022.

“For the Changing Exhibits Program at AUS, I strive to provide the travelling public with a variety of local art and cultural displays – and my outreach includes individual artists, artist groups/guilds, local collectors, cultural organizations, and museums,” said Cory Hurless, Program Manager of Art, Music and Graphics at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

“The airport is a great location to showcase exhibits to the public, as AUS welcomes more travellers per year than some of the most famous museums in the world. The Louvre’s latest attendance numbers in 2019 were 9.6 million visitors, while AUS welcomed over 17 million people in 2019. We are really proud of our ability to connect locals and tourists alike with cultural offerings from across Central Texas, the country and the world. We aim to delight and surprise our passengers, while reflecting back to them our community’s dedication and support of the organizations like local museums. I love using the platform and visibility afforded by the AUS Changing Exhibits Program to put a spotlight on small museums, those hidden gems – thus The Texas Toy Museum was an ideal candidate for me to reach out to!” said Hurless.

“I asked Caleb to curate a variety of artifacts from the ‘80s and ‘90s for the summer, to delight vacation travelers with a little bit of nostalgia – and hopefully spark their interest in visiting the museum during this busy season.” Hurless said.

The Texas Toy Museum display can be found in the secure side of the terminal, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, just past checkpoints 2E and 2W. The Texas Toy Museum is located at 314 1/2 Congress Ave. in Austin.