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.
2025 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!
Wright Museum of World War II
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire,
June 1 – September 1, 2025
EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 31!
For the first time in its history, the Wright Museum hosts a one-of-a-kind exhibit covering the Cold War Era. This exhibit explores how WWII laid the groundwork for the tension-filled decades that followed.
The exhibit features objects on loan from the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, as well as the dynamic ‘Spies and Space: Toys of the Cold War Era’ pop-culture exhibition from SuperMonsterCity! This exhibit runs during the busiest part of the museum’s 2025 season.
Many thanks to our hosts at the Wright Museum of WWII including: Executive Director Peggy Hennelly-Maniates, Curator Justin Gamache, Donna Hamill, Administrative Manager and Volunteer Coordinator; Gail Schulz, Guest Services; Mike Mead; and the other staff, interns, volunteers, and Board members, all of whom made is feel welcomed and made the installation easy and the results look spectacular! Thank you all!
On May 28 SuperMonsterCity! co-founders David Barnhill (Collector) and Stephen Rueff (Curator) made a special presentation to over 60 museum patrons to share the history of toys and pop culture from the U.S. and Soviet Union during the Cold War Era.
2025 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!
Chippewa Valley Musuem
Eau Claire, WI October 6 – December 28, 2025
The Chippewa Valley Museum tells surprising, entertaining, and authentic stories revealing the larger story of America.
Testimonial:
The St. Louis Public Library Director of Marketing and Events
Cathy Heimberger endorses our exhibitions!
“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.”
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
Like our Facebook page
Follow us on Instagram
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Subscribe below to the
SuperMonster市City! e-newsletter!
 |
 |
 |
Toy photos above by Steve Zerby
1,937
SuperMonster市City
SuperMonsterCity! celebrates monsters, superheroes and villains in traveling exhibitions and more!
Star Wars and beyond fills up 3 display cases at our exhibit in Eau Claire. The Star Wars guys , Masters of the Universe, Turtles, Crystarr, Blackstar, Dungeons and Dragons and so much more. After Star Wars came out the toy shelves were full of excitement on other worlds, legendary conflicts of epic proportions. Come a visit those toys at the Chippewa Valley Museum, Tomorrow thru the end of the year.
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
The Monsters are loaded into cases and the posters are on the wall. The video monitors are full of nostalgia from a by gone era. The Auroras are ready for their close-up, The Mummy, Godzilla, The Hunchback, Dracula. Plus the Munsters by Aurora and 2 rare Lindberg Monsters. Then of course we have Mr Gasser from Revell. A whole wall of monster mayhem ... Marx, Remco, AHI, Ben Copper and so much more .... I am a proud Monster Kid! #MonsterKid #vintagetoys #nostalgia
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
A second day of set-up excitement at the Chippewa Valley Museum. The toys are ready.
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
WAHOO! Easy drive down to Eau Claire from Mpls. Noah the incredible CVM intern helped unload the Van. Good buddy Tom arrived and We unpacked and put up our glass display towers. Special thanks to the incredible staff: Carrie, Rachel and Olaf...We all put in a good day and today we will start loading cases with toys and putting stuff on the wall. And again Thanks to Noah and Tom for a full days work.
Beautiful picture of Evil-Lyn from the Masters of the Universe Collection. She was a crony of Skeletor in the battle for Eternia.. There will be lotsa villains and heroes from the 80's and beyond. If you know anybody that lives in the Midwest... tell them about this exhibit. Share this around to your groups and let them know. Opens Oct. 3rd till the end of the year. Tell me what ya think when ya see it.
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
Chippewa Valley Museum is doing a great job of getting the word out about our upcoming opening. Steve Zerby took these pictures ages ago and I just love them. This is Wolf Mans Wagon, when the Aurora Model company combined the Monster Craze with the Hot Rod Craze. My Father put it together and painted it and added the Rats from the Aurora Customizing Kit.. Some of these pictured treasures will be at the museum , others live for now in the Crypts.
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Below are the logos to some of the cultural institutions that have hosted our exhibitions
 | ||
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 | ||
 |  |  |
 | ||
 |  |
|
 |  |  |