Kenneth Cohen

So, you know, it's interesting. When people see our pop culture materials, they often say, oh, you have the, as if there's only one. And of course, in many of these cases, with the ruby slippers, with Superman costumes, with all sorts of other things, especially costume items, there's often multiples.

So, you know, it's interesting. When people see our pop culture materials, they often say, oh, you have the, as if there's only one. And of course, in many of these cases, with the ruby slippers, with Superman costumes, with all sorts of other things, especially costume items, there's often multiples.

So, you know, it's interesting. When people see our pop culture materials, they often say, oh, you have the, as if there's only one. And of course, in many of these cases, with the ruby slippers, with Superman costumes, with all sorts of other things, especially costume items, there's often multiples.

You want to go all the way back probably to the 1970s, if not earlier. The Smithsonian didn't consciously collect things that we would call pop culture until the 1970s. And then what happened in the early 1980s, as the small collection was starting to grow, was that the museum received a gift of materials from the TV show MASH. and staged an exhibit about MASH called Binding Up the Wounds.

You want to go all the way back probably to the 1970s, if not earlier. The Smithsonian didn't consciously collect things that we would call pop culture until the 1970s. And then what happened in the early 1980s, as the small collection was starting to grow, was that the museum received a gift of materials from the TV show MASH. and staged an exhibit about MASH called Binding Up the Wounds.

You want to go all the way back probably to the 1970s, if not earlier. The Smithsonian didn't consciously collect things that we would call pop culture until the 1970s. And then what happened in the early 1980s, as the small collection was starting to grow, was that the museum received a gift of materials from the TV show MASH. and staged an exhibit about MASH called Binding Up the Wounds.

And so that exhibit, which had one of the surgery rooms and a bunch of the props, including the famous sign, hometown sign post that has all the characters' hometowns listed on it. This exhibit drew over a million people. It was the first time the American History Museum needed time ticket entry.

And so that exhibit, which had one of the surgery rooms and a bunch of the props, including the famous sign, hometown sign post that has all the characters' hometowns listed on it. This exhibit drew over a million people. It was the first time the American History Museum needed time ticket entry.

And so that exhibit, which had one of the surgery rooms and a bunch of the props, including the famous sign, hometown sign post that has all the characters' hometowns listed on it. This exhibit drew over a million people. It was the first time the American History Museum needed time ticket entry.

And it really told museum and Smithsonian leadership that popular culture was an important part of American culture and that it needed to be preserved and interpreted and that the American public really wanted to see and engage with it. And without that turning point, it's hard to imagine the robust collecting that sort of led up to now.

And it really told museum and Smithsonian leadership that popular culture was an important part of American culture and that it needed to be preserved and interpreted and that the American public really wanted to see and engage with it. And without that turning point, it's hard to imagine the robust collecting that sort of led up to now.

And it really told museum and Smithsonian leadership that popular culture was an important part of American culture and that it needed to be preserved and interpreted and that the American public really wanted to see and engage with it. And without that turning point, it's hard to imagine the robust collecting that sort of led up to now.

imagine that people really wanted to see that that much that's right you know people really connected with that program a broad cross-section of america really connected with that program and the show had the ability to turn on a dime from humor to really powerful reflection on the human costs of armed conflict and you know that really resonated with americans that the last episode of mash was

imagine that people really wanted to see that that much that's right you know people really connected with that program a broad cross-section of america really connected with that program and the show had the ability to turn on a dime from humor to really powerful reflection on the human costs of armed conflict and you know that really resonated with americans that the last episode of mash was

imagine that people really wanted to see that that much that's right you know people really connected with that program a broad cross-section of america really connected with that program and the show had the ability to turn on a dime from humor to really powerful reflection on the human costs of armed conflict and you know that really resonated with americans that the last episode of mash was

you know, by percentages, the most watched TV show until the 2010s. So, you know, it really was a powerful program.

you know, by percentages, the most watched TV show until the 2010s. So, you know, it really was a powerful program.

you know, by percentages, the most watched TV show until the 2010s. So, you know, it really was a powerful program.

Well, they tell so many stories, right? There's the story in the movie and in the book that preceded the movie. You know, in the book, the slippers are silver and the path is gold.

Well, they tell so many stories, right? There's the story in the movie and in the book that preceded the movie. You know, in the book, the slippers are silver and the path is gold.