When author-illustrator Marc Brown conjured up the 8-year-old aardvark for his eldest son’s bedtime stories more than twenty years ago, he no doubt had any idea how popular his character and his friends would become. Arthur’s book series has over 18 million books in print and the television show is the top children’s TV show in the country. "I think the museum is one of the best uses of Arthur," Brown said in an interview for a local newspaper. "The world is such an adult place that we sometimes forget how important it is to see things from a child’s perspective."

Boston intends to keep the exhibit running for a couple years, at least.

They recognize that, in addition to boosting museum attendance, such interactive exhibits can help kids imaginations. With the right author like Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak or Richard Scarry, museums are able to draw people in who have never been to a museum before. And, almost as important, grandparents and parents and big and little kids are able to share this all together.

Few parents are unaware of these characters’ popularity and generally encourage their children to attend the exhibit, eagerly joining in the fun with them. Typically, such exhibits keep their audiences busy and entertained for at least an hour.

The very popular Seussland at Universal’s new Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando is an oversized and more elaborate version of the museum exhibit Seuss! that is making runs at museums nationwide. Here one can climb into the Cat-in-the-Hat’s clean-up machine or play a One Fish Two Fish matching game or even order the famed green eggs and ham! But if you are interested in seeing the museum version, access the Seuss exhibit web site at childrensmuseum.org. Courtesy of the Chicago Children’s Museum, where Seuss! just completed its run, the site lists coming locales for the Seuss! exhibit.

If you find yourself in the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, visit the Alice in Wonderland exhibit. Children travel through a rabbit hole in Philadelphia and enter Wonderland much as Alice did, complete with the hall of Doors and Mirrors and the opportunity to play croquet in the Queen’s courtyard. Meanwhile, Richard Scarry’s Busytown is such a long-running hit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry that two versions are being used by other museums. In this exhibit, kids can build in the construction area, shop in the grocery store and load cargo in the shipyard.

Kid’s play for sure, but fun for everyone nonetheless.