“…I see things dimensionally in my mind in pieces and how they go together—it’s like a puzzle.”
If you were a kid in the 1980s and 1990s, there is a good chance you played with one of Donna Moore’s creations. Based in Kansas City, Moore became one of the most prolific toy designers in the late 20th century and her playthings were distributed all over the world.
An exhibit featuring these toys, The Three Dimensional Imagination of Donna Moore, runs through June 3, 2018, at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. Museum visitors can meet Moore and hear the stories behind some of her most iconic toys during a Meet the Experts talk on Sunday, March 11, 2-3 pm.
Moore was always fascinated by the way things were made, especially three-dimensional objects. At East High, she learned to sew in her home economics classes went on to study at the Kansas City Art Institute before landing a job at Hallmark Cards, Inc. in 1964.
In the 1980s, Moore was a senior designer at Hallmark when her soft sculptures caught the attention of Determined Productions, a corporation that specialized in character licensing. Accepting a position with the company, Moore traveled the world, combining art and business to create toys that delighted an entire generation of children.
Visit The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures website for more information about the exhibit and the Meet the Experts talk.
