Doll and toy collector eyes Poway as museum location
By Emily Sorensen
There are museums for art, science and even vintage steam engines, so why not toys? Poway resident Elisa Ballard is looking to change that.
“I’ve always enjoyed toys,” said Ballard. It was a neighbor’s collection of vintage toys and dolls, however, that spurned her interest in opening a museum. The neighbor wished to find somewhere to display the collection, and after searching around San Diego, Ballard discovered there wasn’t any sort of museum for dolls and toys.
Recently retired, Ballard said opening the San Diego Toy and Doll Museum is her new goal. “This is my mission now. It’s brought me a lot of joy,” said Ballard.
Ballard said she’s considering a number of places around San Diego for the museum, including Poway. The museum, she said, will include old and new toys, and things to grab the attention of children, like Legos. “The displays will be very artistically done,” said Ballard. “I want the museum to be educational and entertaining, and affordable for a family. I want this to be something a family could do together.”
Ballard said the mission of the museum is also to promote childhood literacy, using displays of toys to bring books like “Little Women” to life.
The San Diego Toy and Doll Museum has been approved as a charitable nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
The displays will range in age, with the oldest being a 19th-century toy from China that Ballard said someone has committed to loan to the museum for a display when it opens.
To help with her goal of opening museum, Ballard will be holding an awareness and fundraising event, a “Fun in the Sun Celebration Luau,” 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at her home. The main goal of the event is to raise awareness of the museum and attract anybody who may be interested in participating in the museum. “It would be nice to raise money [for the museum], but that isn’t the main goal of the event,” said Ballard.
The luau will feature a hula show and a Hawaiian-style buffet, as well raffle prizes and a silent auction with a wide variety of items up for bid, including tickets to the Grammy museum and sporting events, dinners at restaurants and a doll donated by Marie Osmond.
All attendees will have an opportunity to win a seven-night stay at a vacation condo located in the Ko’Olina resort on Oahu.
Tickets for the luau are $50. To purchase tickets, or to offer your help with the San Diego Toy and Doll Museum, contact Elisa Ballard at 619-992-9368 or email Elisa.Ballard@SDToyandDollMuseum.org. For information, visit
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