It’s 20 years since Horrible Histories was started by writer Terry Deary, and the brand has since moved beyond children’s history books to encompass television, licensed products and exhibitions.
The latest exhibition, which looks at spies and spying during world war two, is at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London, which is approaching a new landmark itself: the opening of Spies coincided with the IWM’s flagship branch unveiling the first phase of a £35m redevelopment that will transform the museum when it is completed in summer next year.
Alliteration alert
Spies has all the hallmarks of the Horrible Histories brand that children the world over have become familiar with. Exploding camel poo, fake feet – the fun facts and irreverent humour are all there.
Alliteration is also a popular Horrible Histories device and Spies is no different, with the exhibition divided into sections such as Ruthless Resistance, Cracking Codes, Great Gadgets, Savage Sabotage and Clever Camouflage.
There is a nice range of interpretive devices, reflecting the variety of ways that many children consume knowledge today. So there are the low-tech approaches, such as the stamps that visitors can use to show they have answered a series of questions related to the exhibition. There is also dressing up and some puzzles.
Rat squashing
At the other end of the scale there are computer interactives, such as the one that lets visitors take a picture of themselves that they can put a disguise on using a touchscreen. This is then displayed on a big screen that everyone can see or it can be emailed or posted on Facebook.
One of the interactives is also available in the area of the IWM website that features information on Spies. This is a game where users have to find eight hidden radios in a room. The exhibition itself features a wireless in a Huntley & Palmer biscuit tin.
Visitors can stamp on projections of rats, which then get splattered underfoot. I first saw this interactive at the Horrible Histories Terrible Trenches exhibition at IWM in 2009 and thought it had more relevance there, but there is no doubting that it is good fun and I sneaked a few squashings myself.
In between the high tech and the low tech, there are lots of bite size “Did you know?” facts. These include one on invisible ink, which can apparently be made from milk, lemon, vinegar and even urine. “If you ever get a letter smelling like a toilet it is probably from a spy,” says the caption.
Many of the labels are livened up by illustrator Martin Brown, whose witty cartoons have been a vital part of the success of Horrible Histories. Brown has been appearing at IWM in a series of events related to the exhibition.
Spies also has a few films from the Horrible Histories television series, including its hilarious take on Operation Mincemeat, a successful wartime attempt by Britain to persuade the Germans that instead of attacking Sicily, the Allied armies were going to invade Greece. A dead Welsh tramp was central to this extraordinary deception.
Museum objects
A range of objects from IWM’s collection supports the stories being told. These include a blade hidden in a pencil, a pipe pistol, a compass hidden in a fly-button and a fake passport for Hitler.
IWM says Spies is suitable for all ages but is particularly recommended for five- to 12-year-olds. Luckily I had a couple of eight year olds and two 11-year olds with me when I visited.
All four had a really good time and I asked all of them for their two favourite parts of the exhibition. A couple of them said that they enjoyed doing the stamps, one liked the films and one was impressed with the fake nose and glasses that we were given.
All of them enjoyed the interactive that allowed them to take a picture of themselves and create a disguise on a screen above.
There was only space for two people to do this activity at a time so it might be problematic when the exhibition is very busy.
And I did wonder if this interactive was a little too enjoyable and meant that they did not look at much else.
But they all paid enough attention to the exhibition as a whole to understand that it was divided into sections and each of them remembered a few fun facts to chat about afterwards.
I’m not sure that any of them realised that the cartoon characters featured in the exhibition were in fact based on real people, although maybe that doesn’t matter.
Overall, while Spies is not particularly innovative, it is still streets ahead of many other exhibitions I’ve seen aimed at children. It’s engaging, fun and informative.
And I’m still sniffing my post to check if any spies have been trying to get in touch.
The latest exhibition, which looks at spies and spying during world war two, is at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London, which is approaching a new landmark itself: the opening of Spies coincided with the IWM’s flagship branch unveiling the first phase of a £35m redevelopment that will transform the museum when it is completed in summer next year.
Alliteration alert
Spies has all the hallmarks of the Horrible Histories brand that children the world over have become familiar with. Exploding camel poo, fake feet – the fun facts and irreverent humour are all there.
Alliteration is also a popular Horrible Histories device and Spies is no different, with the exhibition divided into sections such as Ruthless Resistance, Cracking Codes, Great Gadgets, Savage Sabotage and Clever Camouflage.
There is a nice range of interpretive devices, reflecting the variety of ways that many children consume knowledge today. So there are the low-tech approaches, such as the stamps that visitors can use to show they have answered a series of questions related to the exhibition. There is also dressing up and some puzzles.
Rat squashing
At the other end of the scale there are computer interactives, such as the one that lets visitors take a picture of themselves that they can put a disguise on using a touchscreen. This is then displayed on a big screen that everyone can see or it can be emailed or posted on Facebook.
One of the interactives is also available in the area of the IWM website that features information on Spies. This is a game where users have to find eight hidden radios in a room. The exhibition itself features a wireless in a Huntley & Palmer biscuit tin.
Visitors can stamp on projections of rats, which then get splattered underfoot. I first saw this interactive at the Horrible Histories Terrible Trenches exhibition at IWM in 2009 and thought it had more relevance there, but there is no doubting that it is good fun and I sneaked a few squashings myself.
In between the high tech and the low tech, there are lots of bite size “Did you know?” facts. These include one on invisible ink, which can apparently be made from milk, lemon, vinegar and even urine. “If you ever get a letter smelling like a toilet it is probably from a spy,” says the caption.
Many of the labels are livened up by illustrator Martin Brown, whose witty cartoons have been a vital part of the success of Horrible Histories. Brown has been appearing at IWM in a series of events related to the exhibition.
Spies also has a few films from the Horrible Histories television series, including its hilarious take on Operation Mincemeat, a successful wartime attempt by Britain to persuade the Germans that instead of attacking Sicily, the Allied armies were going to invade Greece. A dead Welsh tramp was central to this extraordinary deception.
Museum objects
A range of objects from IWM’s collection supports the stories being told. These include a blade hidden in a pencil, a pipe pistol, a compass hidden in a fly-button and a fake passport for Hitler.
IWM says Spies is suitable for all ages but is particularly recommended for five- to 12-year-olds. Luckily I had a couple of eight year olds and two 11-year olds with me when I visited.
All four had a really good time and I asked all of them for their two favourite parts of the exhibition. A couple of them said that they enjoyed doing the stamps, one liked the films and one was impressed with the fake nose and glasses that we were given.
All of them enjoyed the interactive that allowed them to take a picture of themselves and create a disguise on a screen above.
There was only space for two people to do this activity at a time so it might be problematic when the exhibition is very busy.
And I did wonder if this interactive was a little too enjoyable and meant that they did not look at much else.
But they all paid enough attention to the exhibition as a whole to understand that it was divided into sections and each of them remembered a few fun facts to chat about afterwards.
I’m not sure that any of them realised that the cartoon characters featured in the exhibition were in fact based on real people, although maybe that doesn’t matter.
Overall, while Spies is not particularly innovative, it is still streets ahead of many other exhibitions I’ve seen aimed at children. It’s engaging, fun and informative.
And I’m still sniffing my post to check if any spies have been trying to get in touch.
Project data
- Cost £300,000
- Main funder in-house
- Partner Scholastic/Horrible Histories
- Curator Amanda Mason
- Lighting design Luminance
- Quantity surveyor PT Projects
- CDM coordinator Goddard Consulting
- Construction The Hub
- AV Design and Production Beakus; Joe Cutting; Karen Ullmang
- Exhibition ends 4 January 2015
