Kicking off Summer at the Texas Toy Museum

River City Youth kicked off its first week of summer camp with a one-of-a-kind adventure to the Texas Toy Museum in downtown Austin! Campers were treated to a VIP tour led by the museum’s founder Mr. Zammitt, who showed us some of the rarest treasures in toy history. From the very first Etch A Sketch and Creepy Crawlers kit to an original 1955 Lego box, students explored how some of the world’s most beloved toys came to life.

Everyone leaned in as we heard the surprising backstory of Play-Doh—originally invented as a wall cleaner that never sold well. Everything changed when the inventor’s child discovered how much fun it was to play with the dough. With that twist of fate, a global toy phenomenon was born!

Campers also got to see the first Barbie doll with blue eyes, the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures from 1982, the original X-Men comic from 1963, vintage Pokémon cards, and iconic classics like Power Rangers and Transformers.

After the tour, we soaked in Austin culture with a stop at the signature Whole Foods Market and snapped a big group photo at the famous ATX sign on South Lamar.

A perfect start to summer!