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Danielle Look is a music correspondent for NUVO Newsweekly and IndyMojo.com, a marketing student at The Kelley School of Business, and a general supporter of the local art and music scene in Indianapolis. Below, she previews Incredible Costumes From Film and TV at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.

Have you ever been to a Planet Hollywood Restaurant? The majority of the chain’s locations have been shut down over the years, but Indianapolis used to have access to the authentic movie prop palace in multiple cities throughout the Midwest including Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Gurnee, IL; Schaumburg, IL; Nashville, TN; and even one right here in The Circle City. If you’ve had a void in your heart since Planet Hollywood’s closing or always wanted to give your children the experience of seeing actual movie props in real life, you’ve got but a few days left to take advantage of a pretty cool temporary exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

Incredible Costumes From Film and TV is a collection of real costumes worn by actors and actresses from both the big and small screen. As the exhibit you’ll see the Wicked Witch of the West’s iconic pointy black hat (can you believe it’s more than 70 years old?) and gaze upon the reptilian Gorn costume from 1966’s Star Trek. How great would it be to tell your son that he’s standing before the original Caped Crusader costume from 1997’s Batman and Robin or to show your daughter the whimsical costume worn by Barbara Eden in the television series I Dream of Jeannie? Granted, it’s not the same as dining with The Terminator (which I once did at the Chicago Planet Hollywood), but it’s definitely a close second.

A solid foundation for the exhibit comes in large part from Seattle’s Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum and features many science fiction and fantasy costumes. But the exhibit has also been supplemented with costumes from other sources, both private and public. The Children’s Museum added a green shorts outfit worn by Penny Marshall on Laverne & Shirley from its own collection, while the The Azarian Collection loaned a Wonder Woman costume worn by Lynda Carter in the television series of the same name. Even the Paramount Pictures Corporation has loaned a blue evening dress worn by Beyoncé Knowles in the movie Dreamgirls.

In addition to simply looking at the garments and accessories, the Children’s Museum also gives kids and their family an opportunity to interact with play costumes as well. Dressed in pretend outfits, families can create their own characters and act in their new persona on a child-size movie set. Through this guided imagination, children learn the role that props and costumes play in story-telling and experience the thought-process that goes into creating them.

The exhibit closes this Sunday May 8th, so make plans to attend this weekend before this great collection of Hollywood relics leaves the city.

If you plan on taking your child through the museum this weekend you may want to consider a new pair of shoes for the little one.  I would recommend a pair of Jumping Jacks with lot’s of cushion and support.