Welcome to SuperMonster市City!

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A Celebration of Monsters, Superheroes, and Villains in traveling museum exhibitions!


SuperMonster市City! traveling exhibits are derived from co-founder David Barnhill’s private collection of an estimated 200,000 toys, posters, games, books, films, and more. Co-founder Stephen Rueff curates the objects in social and political contexts through reflective and informative texts, artist profiles, and commentary. Barnhill and Rueff bring new insights to America’s iconic mythical figures from America’s Golden Age of toys.


2024 Exhibition Dates:

Spies and Space: Toys of the Cold War Era is an exhibition reflects on how the drama and intrigue of real-world espionage, and the fascination with outer space, seeped into American and Russian popular culture during the Cold War Era. Follow the links below for more info!

Sheboygan County History Musuem

February – April 2024

Dacotah Prairie Musuem 

May – September 2024

Castle Museum of Saginaw County Musuem

September 2024 – January 2025

 


2024 Exhibition Dates:

This exhibition explores how American monsters, superheroes, and villains impacted American culture from the 1960s to the 1990s and became iconic characters reflecting America’s changing values and social tensions. Through this unique display of hundreds of toys, posters, media, and text panels, this exhibition has been enjoyed by thousands of people in cultural institutions across the U.S. Follow the links below for more information!

Science Central

June  – September 2024

Sacramento History Museum

September 2024 – January 2025


Recommendation:

The St. Louis Public Library Director of Marketing and Events

Cathy Heimberger wrote the following recommendation.

“As the director of marketing for the St. Louis Public Library I am tasked with bringing exhibits to our Central Library that are unique and have a broad appeal. I met David and Stephen while attending an American Association of Museums conference and I knew immediately that I wanted to work with them and bring this one of a kind experience to St. Louis. They didn’t disappoint.

“Our exhibit consisted of more than 500 items from David’s personal collection and attracted visitors of all ages and backgrounds. The exhibit was a natural fit for the library as monsters and villains have lived on the shelves of public libraries from our earliest days. We saw a spike in our graphic novel checkouts during the four month run of the exhibit. I highly recommend bringing this exhibit to your organization.”

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Check out these pictures from the St. Louis Public Library

Exhibited October 2022 – January 2023


Video Testimonials!

Goldstein Museum of Design Director

Lin Nelson-Mayson interview and exhibition images 


Historic Duluth Depot Program Director

Briana Johnson interview and exhibition images


Video: Attendees share their thoughts on our exhibitions

Click this LINK for interviews and installation images (if asked, password is SMC)



SuperMonster市City! exhibits strive to be carbon neutral!

As a proud member of TerraPass, we offset 100% of CO2 emissions from shipping and related travel.

We inform host institutions of the amount of CO2 emissions upon request for use in their sustainability reports. 


For more on SuperMonster市City!

Contact email:  Stephen@SuperMonsterCity.com

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Toy photos above by Steve Zerby

Cover for SuperMonster市City
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SuperMonster市City

SuperMonster市City

SuperMonsterCity! celebrates monsters, superheroes and villains in traveling exhibitions and more!

3 days ago

SuperMonster市City
All the way from Britain, here is some fantastic art from 1982. The British have long put out these cool annuals that are sold in news stands and at train stations. Whenever I am there, I haunt the used book stores to try to find these forgotten treasures. I just love the art and they are filled with stories, comics, games, factoids and more. Anybody else collect these? SuperMonster市City #monsterart #horrorcomics #britishhorror #dracula ... See MoreSee Less
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4 days ago

SuperMonster市City
Another big box of random toys stretching from the 60s up through not so long ago: some forgotten characters, some toy series I no longer remember, Archie McFee trinkets and more. The chaos never stops. Enjoy! #fisherpricetoys #archiemcphee #superheroes #villains #toycollection SuperMonster市City ... See MoreSee Less
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5 days ago

SuperMonster市City
A very random pile of stuff, the kind of stuff I find every day in the Crypts. Some of it is from over 50 years ago and other stuff from just a few years ago. Enjoy the time travel and tell me what you think is cool. #monsters #tarzan #munsters #zorro ... See MoreSee Less
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6 days ago

SuperMonster市City
Saving memories! We all grew up and have fond memories of our childhood. Make sure to tell them now before it’s too late. We all have shelves full of stuff and drawers full of things and we embed them with memories, both good and bad and before you forget, before it’s too late make sure that you tell your family and the generations before you and after you what these things mean to you. Here are some cookie cutters, a Christmas stocking and a beautiful picture of my mom from her sorority days. Remember, it’s up to you to tell the story of your life. You are the archivist, the curator and the docent of your life. Take care. Enjoy! ... See MoreSee Less
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6 days ago

SuperMonster市City
Saving memories! We all have a story to tell and we should tell it before it’s too late. Look at what you collect and what’s in your drawers and on your shelves and share that story with future generations. We all grew up and had childhoods full of fond memories. Make sure to record them before it’s too late. Let’s look at a Christmas stocking, some cookie cutters and a beautiful picture of my Mom from her sorority days. Enjoy! #savingmemories #nostalgia #cookiecutters #FamilyStories #supermonstercity ... See MoreSee Less
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7 days ago

SuperMonster市City
Slimy monsters and melted guys, what to do when a box of rubber jigglers goes sticky and icky. Let’s look at some newly cleaned up rubber jigglers from my youth (60s & 70s): creepy crawlers, dime store jigglers, Frito-Lay premiums and cereal box guys. Take a look and see what Dawn dish soap and warm water can do. #vintagetoys #rubbermonsters #dawndishsoap #toycollectors SuperMonster市City ... See MoreSee Less
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Below are the logos to some of the cultural institutions that have hosted our exhibitions