Museum Of Food And Drink Seeks To Launch Cereal-Puffing Exhibit

New York's Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) launched a Kickstarter on June 29th for their first exhibit, which will feature a cereal puffing gun. The exhibit, called "BOOM! The Puffing Gun and the Rise of Breakfast Cereal," seeks to educate the community about the science of cereal production and the history of the cereal industry.

MOFAD has a 3,200-pound puffing gun, which is modeled after the cereal machines from the early 1900s. The museum's puffing gun will demonstrate how cereal is made, and visitors can taste the freshly puffed cereal on the spot. "Cereal is one of those interesting products that almost all of us have. Very few know how it's made, how it fits in advertising, or think about its history from 20th century till today," museum founder Dave Arnold told The Daily Meal. "Cereal fits into a lot of different interesting trends in nutrition, commerce, advertisement, business, technology, and more. Plus, everyone likes it, so it's a good place to start."

This will be the MOFAD's first mobile pop-up exhibit, and the museum's long-term goal is to create a permanent museum filled with exhibits like "BOOM!." Until then, the nonprofit museum will present their traveling exhibit at schools, parks, streets, and plazas. "We're going to start in New York City later in the summer, then probably start in cities close by in the fall. After we test the waters, we hope to take the puffing gun exhibit across the country," Arnold told us. To do so, the museum is trying to raise $80,000 for a steel and glass platform for the machine, a flatbed trailer, and puffable ingredients.

So far, over two hundred backers pledged more than $28,000 to the Kickstarter campaign. Donors can get MOFAD t-shirts, tote bags, VIP "Puff Party" invitations, and more. Three backers who pledge $10,000 can create their custom cereal with Dave Arnold.

The museum has until July 20, 2013 to raise all the money, and if they do, the cereal exhibit will launch this August.

As for other exhibit ideas, Arnold has some in mind. "Future exhibits could be about coffee, a comparison of different kitchens from different ages, or the contribution of certain people the U.S. culinary history, Arnold said. If MOFAD's cereal Kickstarter becomes a success, it is likely that we'll see more exhibits soon.