A new museum in Brooklyn that celebrates toys is the first of its kind in New York City. Borough reporter Jeanine Ramirez filed the following report.

Tucked away inside St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn Heights is a treasure trove of toys. The Toy Museum of New York has opened on the second floor of the church, and its one room is packed with hundreds of toys dating back to the 1870s.

"We're so thrilled to finally show New Yorkers our collection, and we welcome everybody to come and see us," says Toy Museum founder Marlene Hochman.

All of the items on display are donated, from Lincoln Logs which first debuted in 1916, to an original 1939 View-Master, to a 1950s Lego set. The most recent toys in the collection are from the 1980s.

Hochman, an author of doll books, says toys are an educational tool for social studies and history. For example, there's the story of the teddy bear.

"It was named after Theodore Roosevelt, President Teddy Roosevelt, and a seamstress and a russian immigrant created the teddy bear on Tompkins Avenue in Brooklyn over 100 years ago," says Hochman.

The dolls also have history, from the vintage models to Barbies to ethnic dolls.

"This doll is from Japan and she's holding hats. She's going to dance," says curator Linda Feller. "And one of the very distinctive things about a Japanese doll is the obi [decorative cloth] on the back of her dress."

The collection of dolls and toys was first put together by Hochman back in 1999 and was displayed in city public schools and then in libraries. Hochman turned her exhibits into a non-profit and found this permanent site just two weeks ago.

A recent addition includes original holiday window display mannequins from the now-shuttered Fortunoff store on Fifth Avenue. Ellen Rixford, the artist who made the displays, is glad her work will now be preserved.

"I couldn't be more pleased because it will be shown as it should be. It will be taken care of," says Rixford.

The Toy Museum is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 1-718-243-0820 or visit www.toymuseumny.org.