The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, Topeka’s nonprofit children’s museum, opened the nationally traveling “Curious George ™ : Let’s Get Curious!” exhibit on Tuesday, September 19 at 9 a.m. Created by the Minnesota Children’s Museum, the exhibit will introduce young children to Curious George’s world and lead visitors on a fun, meaningful interactive math, science and engineering-based adventure. The exhibit will be open from September 19, 2023 to January 7, 2024 and is included in the cost of regular admission.
Major support for “Curious George: Let’s Get Curious!” was provided by Visit Topeka, Security Benefit, and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. The exhibit is nationally sponsored by 3M and the Minnesota Children’s Museum. Additional local support for this exhibit was provided by Central National Bank, Mize CPAs Inc., Polo Custom Products, People's Insurance Group, Jamie Lou Hornbaker - State Farm Agent, and Clayton Wealth Partners.
Community partners on-hand to welcome Curious George to Topeka included friends from Visit Topeka, ktwu11, Topeka Zoo, Shawnee County Parks + Recreation, Topeka Lodging Association, Topeka Public Schools, Representative Fred Patton, Representative Kirk Haskins, Commissioner Aaron Mays, and the office of Congressman Jake LaTurner Jake LaTurner, alongside board members, founders, volunteers and supporters. The crowd joined President/CEO Dené Mosier and Curious George himself to open the doors to a crowd of very excited fans.
Based on the familiar characters in H.A. and Margret Rey’s stories published by Houghton Mifflin, the Curious George exhibit inspires young children’s natural curiosity as they explore early science, math and engineering through hands-on interactive play. The immersive exhibit environment takes place in the neighborhood where Curious George lives with his friend, The Man with the Yellow Hat. Visitors will recognize familiar characters and places featured in the classic stories and the PBS KIDS television series. The exhibit’s content is based on educational standards developed by Minnesota Children’s Museum and an expert advisory panel to the PBS KIDS series, as well as national science and math standards for young children.
Special exhibits like “Curious George: Let’s Get Curious!” have a strong history of drawing tourism to Shawnee County, generating as much as a 50 percent increase in out-of-state visitors at the museum and driving local spending.