Celebrating Childhood at the National Farm Toy Museum

By Bill Vossler
Published on October 1, 2007
1 / 14
The National Farm Toy Museum at Dyersville, Iowa.
The National Farm Toy Museum at Dyersville, Iowa.
2 / 14
A Case steam traction engine on display at the museum.
A Case steam traction engine on display at the museum.
3 / 14
The museum´s collection includes early toys, like this early John Deere thresher, as well as contemporary pieces.
The museum´s collection includes early toys, like this early John Deere thresher, as well as contemporary pieces.
4 / 14
Ev Weber´s farm displays are a very popular part of the museum´s collection.
Ev Weber´s farm displays are a very popular part of the museum´s collection.
5 / 14
These IHC farm toys recall a long-lost era.
These IHC farm toys recall a long-lost era.
6 / 14
Premium toys get special finishes, like this metallic Farmall.
Premium toys get special finishes, like this metallic Farmall.
7 / 14
Foreign toys help visitors learn about agriculture in other countries.
Foreign toys help visitors learn about agriculture in other countries.
8 / 14
A Case/IH 8575 silage special baler.
A Case/IH 8575 silage special baler.
9 / 14
A Precision Ferguson on display at the museum. The Precision Series has been a big hit with collectors.
A Precision Ferguson on display at the museum. The Precision Series has been a big hit with collectors.
10 / 14
A Cletrac, the feature toy at the 2000 Summer Farm Toy Show. National Farm Toy Museum collector's series tractors remain popular with enthusiasts.
A Cletrac, the feature toy at the 2000 Summer Farm Toy Show. National Farm Toy Museum collector's series tractors remain popular with enthusiasts.
11 / 14
This diorama depicts a typical 1960s farmstead.
This diorama depicts a typical 1960s farmstead.
12 / 14
Sets like this Tru-Toy farm implement five-pack have enduring appeal. This set was made by Carter Tru-Scale Products.
Sets like this Tru-Toy farm implement five-pack have enduring appeal. This set was made by Carter Tru-Scale Products.
13 / 14
Farm toys are produced in varied materials. This one is crafted in pewter.
Farm toys are produced in varied materials. This one is crafted in pewter.
14 / 14
Amanda Schwartz at one of the most-photographed displays at the museum: An exhibit illustrating the varied sizes of John Deere scale models.
Amanda Schwartz at one of the most-photographed displays at the museum: An exhibit illustrating the varied sizes of John Deere scale models.

It may not be the fountain of youth, but the National Farm Toy Museum at Dyersville, Iowa, does have a way of making people feel like kids all over again. “Our visitors really enjoy taking a step back into the past,” says Amanda Schwartz, “seeing the tractors they used as a kid growing up on a farm, or the ones that grandpa had.” Amanda is the executive assistant for Dyersville Industrial Development, and events and membership coordinator for the toy museum.

Kids of all ages get excited about the museum, Amanda says. “Today I heard a little kid exclaim, ‘Look at all the toys!'” she says. “That’s what I like about my job: the reaction you get from people.” She also enjoys showing off the museum’s vast collection. Her favorite toy in the museum resembles a 1950s Farmall and was manufactured in 1969 by Carter Tru-Scale Products. Called the “Shut Up Toy,” it cost less than a dollar in grocery stores where it was sold to keep children quiet while mom shopped. “That’s always a fun story to tell kids,” Amanda says.

The museum’s first floor includes a theater where a 10-minute film (“Toys to Treasures”) is shown, and a full-size farmhouse porch and seven dioramas depict farmstead changes over the past century. A variety of toys and a die-cast machine once used at the Ertl Co. are also displayed on the first floor.

On the second floor are exhibits illustrating the evolution of corn and grain harvesting (complete with custom-made machine replicas), and floor-to-ceiling displays of farm toys, pedal tractors, toy construction equipment, fire engines, trucks and banks.

More variety than Heinz has pickles

Two types of audiences visit the toy museum’s 14,000-square foot space. “There’s the collector who knows the toys, the manufacturer and all the details,” Amanda says. “Then there’s the tourist who just wants to know what the toy is and why it’s special. We try to please both.”

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388