This depression era hand stitched doll named Dinah was a childhood gift from the donor’s grandmother. Made of black stockinette stockings and stuffed with wool batting, Dinah is wearing a blue cotton dress with white polka dots, a white cotton hemmed apron, a red handkerchief scarf in her hair, and black cotton velveteen shoes with black leather soles. Beneath the dress is a bright pink pair of bloomers. Dinah’s face is completely hand embroidered.

On June 3, 1990, U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev made a highly publicized trip to the Twin Cities. In honor of his seven hour stopover, Parker Brothers issued this special Russian edition of the ultimate capitalistic board game Monopoly to commemorate the communist leader’s visit.

Bobblehead in the likeness of Garrison Keillor dressed as private investigator Guy Noir, a character from Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” radio show.  Made by VisABILITY, circa 2000.

Toy horse-drawn cart carrying a set of twelve blocks, each piece made of flat wood stock to which is glued printed paper. The blocks form a picture of ‘Santa Claus’ on one side, while the other may be arranged to show the letters A to X in sequence (block “YZ” excluded), each block showing a pair of letters below a picture of a child or an animal engaged in child’s activity. Manufacturer unknown, circa 1895.

“Get a Gobbler” punchcard game board. Front has boxes that players choose with punch-out circles representing women’s names. The winning name is concealed under the turkey tail in the upper right corner. If you guess the correct name, you “get a 10 pound turkey.” Made by Hamilton Manufacturing Co., Minneapolis. 1949.

From the Minnesota Historical Society’s extensive collection of weaponry comes this 1967 Star Trek Rapid Fire Tracer Gun which “shoots the new jet discs with exciting rapid-fire tracer action.” The universe is all the safer for it.