(US donations are tax-deductible! New data up top. Summary and FAQ below.)

Bloop has reimagined the first phase of our move. Check out this new chart!

A breakdown of Bloop Museum's fundraising costs

Our old Phase I goal was for the entire outright purchase of a building and fixing up most of the first floor. We did a lot of thinking and planning and decided we can break that up into smaller pieces. The two buildings we're looking at are both similar scenarios - there's a big room next to a parking lot we can start out in, they're not quite ADA compliant, they need work on the first floor restrooms, and they'll need some cleanup and inspections.

Our new goal gets us a down payment, covers all closing costs, covers getting there and moving in, gets us inspected, and brings everything into compliance. Then we can expand and renovate while we operate and open more areas to the public. Once we're in there, our operating costs and mortgage will be covered by recurring donations — you can join them, if you like! So really, our biggest need is the money to get the building and move; we are currently meeting the minimum required to keep the lights on.

We can begin moving at $200,000.

But maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves....

What's a Bloop? We're an electronic entertainment museum dedicated to computers, games, media, and gadgets! We currently operate inside the System Source Computer Museum, adding fun and flair to their exhibits and supplying our own. When you visit, you get a personalized tour of both museums. Also, National Electronics Museum, formerly near BWI airport, just moved in!

Our Video Game exhibit!

Why so much? We've run Bloop as a pop-up museum for over 15 years, and in this location for five. Success means growth, and getting our own space for Bloop is quickly becoming necessary. This fundraiser is what we need to take Bloop to the next level. It's enough to open and operate in a new space, and we can continue to fix up the building while we're there. We also have some fancy charts if you want to see those. Don't forget - your donation is very likely tax-deductible!

A slice of our Japan exhibit

Some of Bloop's recent 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.
Between both museums, we conducted our 3,500th tour (Schedule a tour here).
Our collection grew; we recently inventoried our 24,000th artifact.
We contributed thousands more edits to online game and media databases.
We led multiple high school, middle school, and elementary school tours, which are always a big hit.
We participated in multiple local, regional, national, and global events.

Apple exhibit and more

Our host facility, System Source, and their museum, Maryland Technology Museum, have a bunch of cool new things going on as well:

Usagi Electric is restoring a Bendix G-15, a programmable vacuum tube computer from 1956!
A large new IBM exhibit, featuring some System/360 gear with a very cool story.
A new row of computers including a number of early programmable machines you can try.
Regular repair weekends - repair your stuff, ours, or help someone!

IBMs and Flight Sims

We are also interested in donations of 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, or other obsolete thing.

Acorns, Tandy, and more, oh my!

No money or things to donate? You can still help by spreading the word about this campaign to others, and if you donate to a DAF (donor-advised fund), you can recommend the DAF donate to us. Also, if you're nearby, consider volunteering! Contact us if you'd like to help at the museum and we'll help you find something interesting to do. ☺

Bloop Museum Needs a Building

By The Bloop Museum

Bloop Museum Needs a Building

Help put an amazing Electronic Entertainment Museum in a new space