I’m a travel writer. Words are what I do. My stories may not always sing, but I usually can put one word in front of another succinctly enough to craft a well-written article.
But when I heard about the newly opened Planet Word in Washington, D.C., I was so excited, I had no words. But I knew I couldn’t get there fast enough to see all the magical ways in which words—the entire focus of the museum “where language comes to life”—can be employed in their myriad maneuverings to explain, entertain, and elucidate.
Interactive exhibits talk, teach, train, and titillate. Words are everywhere. The floor you walk upon reveals the development of language from cave dwellings to hieroglyphics to alphabets from around the world. Elevators resemble libraries. No admonishments to use your inside voices here but definitely to use your words. The museum is divided into the foundations of language; all the cool things you can do with words and ultimately why words matter.
So first you see how babies acquire language skills. We initially babble a lot of sounds but only retain those that find a home in our native tongue. A massive word wall houses more than 1,000 words that visitors call out to see how they were developed, relate to each other, or integrate with other languages. The explanations of the visuals are enchanting. Everything is interactive; everything is entertaining; everything is fun.
The many side experiences in every gallery are fascinating in themselves but so easy to overlook. You might miss the signs above the entrance to the Joking Around room: “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” Bada boom.
At the Visual Puns exhibit, check out the large picture, among many, of two suitcases, one laughing and one crying. The tagline? Emotional Baggage. Move on to a table with two computers where you and a friend get to read jokes to each other and try to make each other laugh—or not. Yes, they’re corny, but you'll laugh out loud anyway. What’s the difference between a hippo and a Zippo? One’s heavy and the other is a little lighter. See? Very hard to keep a straight face.
The Word World offers word paintings using adjectives. Pick up the Hibernal brush and snow appears over the nature scene on the wall; the Nocturnal brush brings darkness; Tempestuous, rain, and wind. Ah, but the Magical brush elicits great whimsy. Paint the deer on the wall and it becomes a unicorn; splash it across the airplane and it turns into a magic carpet. Are you smiling yet?
