Geppi's Entertainment Museum facts for kids
| Established | September 8, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | June 3, 2018 |
| Location | 2nd floor, Camden Station Baltimore, Maryland |
Geppi's Entertainment Museum was a cool place that showed off lots of popular culture items. It was a private museum, about 16,000 square feet big, located in Baltimore, Maryland. The museum told the story of American pop culture from the 1600s all the way to the early 2000s.
This included things like newspapers, magazines, comic books, movies, TV shows, radio, and video games. The museum had almost 60,000 items! Imagine seeing old magazines, movie posters, toys, buttons, cereal boxes, trading cards, dolls, and more.
The museum closed its doors on June 3, 2018. Many of its amazing items were given to the Library of Congress so they could be preserved.
Contents
Who Started Geppi's Entertainment Museum?
The museum was owned by Stephen A. Geppi, who is also the President and CEO of Diamond Comics Distributors. Most of the items in the museum came from Mr. Geppi's own huge collection.
In 2007, Stephen Geppi's daughter, Melissa "Missy" Geppi-Bowersox, became an important leader at the museum. By 2012, she was promoted to president.
The first person to organize the museum's collection was Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg. Later, Andy Hershberger helped manage the exhibits.
What Could You See at the Museum?
The museum had many different areas, called galleries, each showing a different time period of pop culture. There was also a special space for new exhibits that changed regularly.
Exploring Pop Culture Through Time
Here are some of the main galleries you could visit:
- A Story in Four Colors: This gallery showed a huge collection of comic books, from the very first "Golden Age" comics to more modern ones. It also had many pulp magazines and Big Little Books.
- Pioneer Spirit: Baltimore Heroes: This section celebrated people, businesses, and events that made Baltimore famous.
- Extra, Extra: 1776–1927: Here, you could see characters that became popular in newspapers, books, movies, and radio shows from this early time.
- When Heroes Unite: 1928–1945: This gallery displayed collectibles from the Great Depression and World War II. You could find items featuring Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Superman, Captain Marvel, Dick Tracy, and The Lone Ranger.
- America Tunes In: 1946–1960: This area showed items from after World War II. It included things from shows like Howdy Doody and I Love Lucy, plus sports heroes, space adventures, westerns, and rock and roll.
- Revolution: 1961 to 1970: This gallery had items from a very important decade. You could see things related to James Bond, The Flintstones, Batman, Star Trek, The Beatles, Barbie, and G.I. Joe.
- Expanding Universe: 1971–1990: This section highlighted video games, fast food toys, Saturday morning cartoons, TV stars, and Star Wars.
- Going Global: 1991–Present: This gallery showed items from the late 1900s into the 2010s. It included things about MC Hammer, Jack Sparrow, Hannah Montana, and the Toy Story movies.
The galleries were connected by a main hallway. The walls of this hallway were covered with comic strips, animation drawings, and movie posters. There were also two statues of Superman at each end of the hall!
Special Exhibits: What's New?
Geppi's Entertainment Museum often had special exhibits that changed. These temporary shows covered topics like Star Wars, famous comic book price guides, and previews of new toys.
One special exhibit, from February 2013 to March 2014, was called "Milestones: African Americans in Comics, Pop Culture and Beyond." It celebrated the contributions of African Americans to pop culture.
Awards and Recognition
Geppi's Entertainment Museum won some cool awards:
- It won Nickelodeon's 2009 ParentsConnect.com Parents' Picks Award for Best Kid Museum.
- It also won Nickelodeon's 2008 ParentsConnect.com Parents' Picks Award for Best Teen Museum.
- Baltimore City Paper named it the Best Non-Art Museum in 2007.
