ROBIN Hood, Action Man and the Cabbage Patch Dolls are delighting children - and children at heart - in a nostalgic exhibition at a North-East museum.

Toys through the ages are already drawing hundreds of visitors to the exhibition designed to evoke happy childhood memories.

On its opening day, about 500 visitors turned up to Kirkleatham Museum, near Redcar, east Cleveland, to reminisce about the past, while youngsters enjoyed a laugh at how their grandparents and parents would spend their youth.

Favourite toys, games and familiar objects from the Fifties to the present day are featured in the Memories of Childhood display.

The exhibition features Robin Hood board games from the Fifties, Action Man and Scalextric from the Sixties and Star Wars and Sooty from the Seventies.

Cabbage Patch dolls make an appearance to represent the Eighties while Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear and Teletubbies proved a hit in the Nineties.

In 2000, the emphasis is on PlayStations and Teksta - an electronic puppy. But while toys have evolved, some have lasted many years.

Trivial Pursuit, which hit the shelves in 1984, is still a major player - evolving from a board game on to DVD.

The Rubik's Cube has also stood the test of time and continues to baffle generations.

Robert Taylor, museum services officer for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said it was the durability of the toy that made it a hit.

He said: "But I think kids have to have some connection to it - if they have a favourite programme they want something to represent that.

"A lot of present day toys are bought now as collectables. People buy stuff these days to collect - some people tend to buy two - one to play with and one to put away.

"There are a lot of toys these days which were very popular in the Sixties, like James Bond and Thunderbirds, that you can still buy today."

He also attempted to answer the question of what makes a toy or game timeless.

"There is stiff competition with computer games and the evolution of PlayStations and things, but I think it is probably simplicity - something you can easily get out of the cupboard," he said. "Something all the family can take part in. Good games always come out at Christmas."

The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm, for the rest of the year. Admission is free.

The exhibition will also be open during the museum's family fun day on Saturday and Sunday.

Attractions include a craft fair, bouncy castle, face-painting, music, miniature steam train rides, remote control car displays and children's craft activities.

The activities take place from 10am until 4pm, both days.