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The Children's Museum of Stockton's toy soldiers have new names!
In January of 2026, the Children's Museum of Stockton put out a request to the community for help in naming our red, blue, and yellow toy soldiers. The opportunity was open to all and we received wonderful suggestions. In April of that same year the new names were chosen: Red Toy Soldier was renamed "Tillie", Blue Toy Soldier was renamed "Benny", and Yellow Toy Soldier is now called "Sunny". Their names were chosen to reflect our community.
Toy Soldier Tillie is named after Stockton's very own "Tomato Queen" Tillie Ehrlich-Weisberg Lewis. While born in Brooklyn, she made Stockton her home and according to the Visit Stockton website, "Tillie Lewis was one of eight historically significant women featured in "The Only One in the Room" display at the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington D.C." An instrumental and driving force in the agricultural industry in both the city of Stockton and San Joaquin County she is remembered "as one of the most influential businesswomen in the history of the United States."
To read the full article on Tillie Lewis, please click here.
Toy Soldier Benny is named after Benjamin Holt. Benjamin was one of eleven children and as a young boy worked in the family sawmill in New Hampshire. In 1883, at the age of 34, Benjamin moved to Stockton, California and, along with his brother Charles, established the Stockton Wheel Company. According to HerLife Magazine, Benjamin would go on to "establish himself as a mechanical genius." He developed, among other things, "the first crawl-type tractor...[and] side-hill harvesters that could harvest on an incline." While Benjamin Holt passed away in 1920, his company, Holt Manufacturing Company merged with a competitor five years later to form what is known today as Caterpillar Inc. A photo of Bejamin Holt riding his side-hill harvester is on display at the museum.
To read the full article on Bejamin Holt, please click here.
Toy Soldier Sunny is named for the children who visit the museum. Like sunlight, the children's light shines, bringing warmth, hope, and joy to the museum, reminding us that the innocence and playful spirit of children endure. Toy Soldier Sunny is a guardian of play and a symbol of bright futures ahead.
