MEDIA RELEASE

New exhibition at Canadian Children's Museum shows kids are the toy experts

Gatineau, Quebec, January 31, 2007 —– The Canadian Children's Museum wants to let everyone in on a secret — an intriguing new exhibition called Top Secret: Mission Toy. Kids will have a unique opportunity to play toy detective when the exhibition of toys from around the world opens on February 3.

We all know that kids play with toys because it's fun, but did you know that toys also help children develop important cognitive, social and motor skills? They help socialize children, teaching them to share, compromise and cooperate with their peers. Many toys also foster creativity and imagination, critical thinking and problem-solving.

But nobody knows toys better than kids. That's why the Canadian Children's Museum is calling in the experts for Top Secret: Mission Toy. They'll don a lab coat and embark on an important mission: to inspect toys from around the world. They'll use their investigative and playtime skills to check out dolls and balls and secret codes, find out why tops are tops, and how string can be a fascinating thing.

"Toys are such an essential part of growing up, yet we often overlook their important role in educating and socializing our children," says Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. "Top Secret: Mission Toy shows us that while they take many different shapes, from simple wooden tops to remote-controlled robots, toys are an important part of life in cultures around the world. A child's need to have fun is universal."

Top Secret: Mission Toy highlights the CCM's rich collection of toys, as well as hands-on displays, interactive devices, games and other activities aimed at children aged 5 to 12, their families and school groups.

During the Grand Opening Weekend, February 3 and 4, kids can team up with toy experts to design and make their own toys, meet some of their favourite toy characters, and learn tricks of the trade with real toymakers. A yo-yo master will perform in the Theatre at 11 a.m., and 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Created and produced by the CCM, Top Secret: Mission Toy will be presented in Gatineau until Sept. 3, 2007, then travel to other venues across North America. The newly expanded Children's Museum, one of the Canadian Museum of Civilization's most popular attractions, has received more than 7 million visitors since opening in 1989.