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Folk Toys New Display at Old West Wax Museum

Toy wagons, horses, saddles and tack are the newest display at the Old West Wax Museum, Thermopolis. "Grandpa's Horses: Folk Toys of Eric W. Kay" is on loan from Kay's grandson, Eric R. Kay, Thermopolis. Kay first began modeling trains and toy figures in the 1950s and worked on them for over a decade.

His work is a good example of traditional folk art -- creating something with whatever materials were at hand. The display shows the evolution and imagination of a folk craftsman who had an eye for detail and a talent for creating folk art.
"He loved the American West," said Kay. "But he never ventured west of the Mississippi River. His ideas came from popular culture, magazines such as Western Horseman, and his own vision.

"He had a great sense of humor," said Kay. "One of the vehicles is a black hearse, complete with a coffin and a body inside."
The vehicles include a replica of the delivery wagon first used by Kroger Grocery, which later became a major grocery chain. Kay's wagon was on display at Kroger headquarters in Cincinnati during their 100th anniversary in 1983.

Kay's personal favorite is a mounted policeman in his uniform. "It's my grandfather's tribute to his father," Kay said. "My great-grandfather was one of the last mounted policeman."

Also currently on display in the gallery is a collection of early dime novels, the forerunner to today's comic books. The collection dates from 1890-1916.

The displays are sponsored by Big Horn Basin Foundation and Dancing Bear Folk Center in the Old West Wax Museum complex. It is open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.