Mansfield, Ohio - Stuffed Animal Scenes, Electro the Robot

The curator of this museum is passionate about his work and knows plenty about the history of pretty much everything in the three-story museum (two are currently used). He even wrote a book about Electro, and tells entertaining stories about the famous 1930s robot. This really is a must see attraction for anyone interested in science fiction. I was absolutely in heaven, and left wondering if today's robot makers are slightly off the mark, given what Electro could do all those years ago - WALK!! - and today's robots still struggle. [A.P., 07/23/2009]

Amazing place, in oddball Mecca, Mansfield. I went to see their large collection of Victorian anthropomorphic scenes (stuffed animals getting married, stuffed animal band, etc.). When we got there, the place was swarming with men from Westinghouse who had come to see the recently refurbished Elektro, the oldest U.S. robot (built by Westinghouse in the 1930s). The woman working shooed us into the room because, even though it wasn't yet open to the public, "it would be a shame to miss him." He's not a permanant exhibit, but I know he's been back since. The anthropomorphic displays were awesome, as were the other assorted goodies. [Brenda, 12/15/2005]