HAY! NEW STUFF! READ HERE!

Bloop version 0.7 is open. What does that mean, exactly? We have about 3000 sq ft of exhibit space that we can tour you through, and that'll hopefully give you an idea of what we can do. You can also get a little peek at what we have planned for the future, and see that the current version is really just a jump-off point for the next. Version 1.0 will add 1000 sq ft in a month or two. Version 1.5 will take us to 10,000 sq ft total. Version 2.0 will take us to 20,000 sq ft.

Right now, we're doing "Walk-in Wednesdays" from 10am-6pm. It's exactly what it sounds like, you can visit the museum unannounced on Weds from 10-6. If you want a tour any other time, or if you have a group, please request a tour here. We'll figure out the best time, day, all that stuff.

(Okay, now for the Summary and FAQ. We've updated this information a little bit, too.)

Bloop has reimagined the first phase of our move. Check it out:

This campaign has changed a lot in just a few years. First, we had aspirations to purchase a building outright and fix up the first floor of the place. That was a bit much, so we decided to break that up into smaller pieces. We were down to two buildings. Both had a big room next to a parking lot to start out in, needed work on the restrooms, weren't quiiite ADA compliant, and needed some cleanup and inspections.

We set a goal to cover a down payment, closing costs, transportation, inspections, and bringing everything into compliance. Options for spaces came and went, as you might expect. Even with solid projections, options for lending also came and went. The rest of the plan was (is) very solid - keep operating costs and mortgage payments low so they can be covered by our recurring donations (won't you join them?). Slowly expand and renovate while we operate and open more areas to the public.

a fairly long two-story building along a road with a small yard and sidewalk out front.

We got a contract accepted on our best commercial property option, pictured above. Then we hit our goal of $240,000, and six lending options fell through. Fortunately, a private lender stepped up and totally saved the day, and the local government is working with us to open the building in phases. We closed on the deal and we now have a building in Penn Hills, near Monroeville!

Newcomers might wonder: If everything worked out, why does this fundraiser exist? Folks who donated and supported the campaign and new visitors alike might wonder why the dollar amount has gone up.

Very simply: We're not trying to buzzkill the satisfaction of completing a fundraiser (we took a screenshot). This is just the another phase. Pittsburgh was hit with some serious storms as we purchased, and inspections revealed repairs we wanted to do before even moving our stuff to the space (which we're almost done doing). We re-prioritized everything in a way that we could move in as soon as possible. We were organizing and packing while renovating, and even doing other repairs while we set up. We couldn't open by fall, but on Wednesday the 18th of February, year of our snowstorm 2026, we passed our code inspection and opened to the public in a limited capacity. Now the goal gets to be a less limited one!

If you're new to this campaign, you might be asking....

What's a Bloop? We're an electronic entertainment museum dedicated to computers, games, media, and gadgets! We used to be located in the System Source Computer Museum in Baltimore, and now we're in the new building you see above, just outside Pittsburgh. We spent years adding fun and flair to System Source, supplied our own, and also became neighbors with National Electronics Museum, formerly near BWI airport. NEM is moving to a new location as well. System Source is still open in Hunt Valley, MD.

We ran Bloop as a pop-up museum for a decade, then inside System Source for seven. That's 17 years of Bloop! Success meant growth, and things got a bit tight in Baltimore. So we bought this new space - that's why there are so many phases of fundraising to fix it up. We want to keep growing and show you something truly special. Remember - your donation is very likely tax-deductible!

Some Bloop highlights:

We recovered data from an old floppy disk critical to the exoneration of two men who were falsely convicted (Read the story here)!
We preserved the only known working BIOS for the Montgomery Ward Cybervision 2001.
In our old location, we conducted over 5,000 tours (Schedule a tour here).
Our collection is growing; we recently inventoried our 25,000th artifact.
We contribute thousands of edits to online game and media databases yearly.
We lead coworker and grade school tours as well as club field trips, always a big hit.
We participated in multiple local, regional, national, and global events.

Feel free to also donate artifacts in (or related to) four major categories:

Any electronic game, on any media, for any system, from any time period (or the system).
Interesting computer hardware/software, especially non-PC or pre-2000.
Audio/video media & players, the more weird/obscure/failed, the better!
Tech gadgets! Bring in your old MP3 player, phone, calculator, or other obsolete thing.

No money or things to donate? Need some other options?

If you're near Pittsburgh, consider volunteering - contact us and we'll help you find something interesting to do. ☺ If you donate to a DAF (donor-advised fund), you can recommend the DAF donate to us (please give us a heads up). If you're a livestreamer, we're set up with PayPal Giving Fund. If your employer is set up with Benevity or Deed, you can donate through those, and possibly even receive a match! And of course, it's free to spread the word about this campaign!

Bloop Museum Moves to Pittsburgh

By The Bloop Museum

Bloop Museum Moves to Pittsburgh

Bloop version 0.7 is open - help us get to 1.0!