A Museum Visit With Something For Everyone

Visitors of all ages enjoy posing for pictures with The Simpsons. Photo courtesy of the Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum
The gang’s all there: Shirley Temple, Popeye, Batman, the Simpsons and Betty Boop. Also, The Hulk, Barbie, Wall-E, Harry Potter, G.I. Joe, Charlie McCarthy and Howdy Doody. Visitors will also encounter Mickey and Minnie, the Three Stooges, the California Raisins, the Pillsbury Doughboy and too many other childhood characters, superheroes and legends to name.
From the moment you walk past the life-size statue of Po from the movie “Kung-Fu Panda” as you enter the Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum in Cheshire, Conn., you’re in for a trip down memory lane — or a flashback to the beloved Saturday afternoon cartoons of your childhood. It’s a sure cure for cabin fever and a fun spring break outing for the entire family.
Nostalgia on steroids is a fitting way to describe the experience, sure to delight the young and the young-at-heart, whether 8 or 80.
“We’re pretty much like a nostalgia machine over here,” said museum docent Blake Bassett with a laugh. “We love to watch people’s expressions when they see a toy they remember from the ’30s or ’40s. They can often tell you exactly how it works.”
A common lament that usually follows, she said, is, “My mother threw mine away.”
Not so for museum owners Jerry and Stephen Barker. The 3,500-square-foot space includes the personal collection of their late parents, Gloria and Herbert Barker, who amassed about 80,000 items over more than four decades, including toys that their children had played with. A small number of items have also been donated by collectors.
Disney characters, famous actors, television shows, musicians, pop culture icons and marketing and sci-fi figures are represented through a dizzying assortment of toys, dolls, records, books, playing cards, rotary phones, comics, wagons, watches, games, lunch boxes, action figures — even animated films, posters and original artwork.
Elephant ramp walkers from 1873
The Barkers started their collection by visiting tag sales at a time before people realized that cast-off toys had an intrinsic value and interest for future generations. While the items were considered run-of-the-mill in their day, they are coveted collectibles today.
Two of the oldest toys in the collection prove that gravity works: They are the cast-iron elephant ramp walkers. Manufactured in 1873 by the Ives Toy Company in Bridgeport, Conn., they were the first automatons to be powered by gravity. One hundred and forty years later, they work as well as ever and lumber obligingly down even the slightest incline.
Barrett said what makes them even more interesting is that the Ives Company originally produced guns and ammunition during the Civil War, but once the war ended, they turned to toys. The ramp walkers, explained Barrett, are made from melted-down bullet casings.
“What a segue: weapons of war to children’s toys,” she mused.
Another item with an eye-opening history is an unopened tube of Mickey Mouse toothpaste from 1933.
“It was made with a special milk of magnesia flavor, and comes in a lead tube; they didn’t know the dangers” of lead toxicity back then, she said. At the time, lead was considered an inexpensive and easy metal to mold into toys.
Prizes, promotions and Betty Boop
Child stars of yesteryear are also represented here. Back in the day, Shirley Temple generated not just ticket sales, but a great deal of toys and associated items.
Prizes from old cereal boxes and promotions are a hot ticket as well. From 1934 to 1942, cobalt blue table settings, manufactured by the Hazel Atlas and U.S. Glass Companies, were given away as premiums for Wheaties and Bisquick, and are prized by today’s collectors.
Remember Betty Boop, Bimbo the dog and Koko the Clown? Betty, the feckless flapper who danced through life with her canine boyfriend Bimbo, first vamped her way into the public’s hearts as a sexy chanteuse in 1930 and continued to lift movie-goers’ hearts throughout the Great Depression with her song-filled adventures.
Among the most popular attractions with all ages are an 8-foot-tall statue of the Marvel superhero The Hulk, which served as a promotion for the 2008 movie of the same name; and life-size characters from The Simpsons. Both invite plenty of selfies and family photos.
“They only made about 200 Hulks,” noted Barrett.
Their value
beyond nostalgia
While all the museum items include price tags to give visitors an idea of their current value, none of the items are for sale. One of the most expensive items is a Popeye heavy-hitter toy valued at $14,000, said Barrett. The toy mimics the popular carnival game where people test their strength by wielding a hammer, causing a bell to ring if successful.
Since the museum opened in 1997, the Barker family has welcomed visitors from around the corner and around the world. The collection, which spans the years from 1873 to the 2020s, stimulates discussion among the generations in a way that few museums can. Every generation will find favorite toys; historians can savor an unusual glimpse into styles and trends of the past.
In addition, the Barkers were dedicated to preserving America’s rich cartoon heritage, and founded the largest retail animation and entertainment art gallery in the world, Barker Animation Art Gallery.
Barker Animation had its Grand Opening in West Hartford, Conn., in 1993; and in 1994, operations moved to the Barker complex in Cheshire, Conn.
The gallery maintains a collection of vintage and current artwork from artists in the fields of animation and pop culture. To give this artwork more exposure, Gloria and Herb opened an additional gallery at The Tanger outlets at Foxwoods in 2016.
If you decide to visit
The Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum is at 1188 Highland Ave. in Cheshire, and is open by appointment only (call 203-272-2357). Face masks are mandatory.
Each visitor to the museum receives a self-guided tour booklet, and while there can peruse the vast collection of animation art, fine arts and collectibles available for purchase in the gallery next door.
Visitors can also enjoy a scavenger hunt, and stroll the grounds and pose for pictures with life-sized cartoon character cut-outs.
“You get the whole museum to yourself for the entire hour, for a more personal, interactive experience,” said Barrett.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.