![]() Museum interior, July 2017 | |
| |
Established | 1976 |
---|---|
Location | Mecca, California |
Coordinates | 33°31′42″N 115°56′36″W / 33.528350°N 115.943433°W |
Curator | Fred Garbutt |
Website |
internationalbananamuseum |
The International Banana Museum was a museum located in Mecca, California, dedicated to the banana. [1] The one-room museum contained more than 20,000 items related to bananas. [1] In 1999, the museum set a Guinness World Record as the largest museum devoted to a single fruit. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum stated it would close. [2] As of August 2023, it remained closed. [3]
In 1972, Kenneth Bannister was a president of a photographic equipment manufacturing company, and at a manufacturers' conference, he handed out thousands of Chiquita banana stickers. [1] [4] [5] His joke was that since the banana was shaped like a smile, it might encourage people to do so. [1]
Encouraged by the positive response, Bannister created the International Banana Club and was designated as the "Top Banana". [1] He started receiving banana-related items in the mail, but began to run out of room for all of them. [4] [5] He founded the museum in 1976. [1]
The International Banana Club and Museum operated in Altadena in a rented building. [1] [4] [5] [6] The Banana Club grew to 35,000 members in 17 countries. [4] Donating a banana-related item to the museum would enable one to join the Banana Club, with a nickname and ability to earn "banana merit points", and obtain a degree in "Bananistry". President Ronald Reagan was a member of the club. [1]
In 2005, Bannister relocated the museum to a rent-free city-owned space in Hesperia. [4] [6] However, in 2010, the Hesperia Recreation and Park District wanted the museum to move out to make room for a new exhibit. [6] Bannister placed the entire collection on eBay for $45,000. [4] [6] He lowered the price to $7,500 [4] and in 2010, Fred Garbutt bought the collection for an undisclosed amount, moving it to Mecca, California, and becoming the new curator. It was reported that Bannister had agreed to a purchase price below $7,500. [1] [5]
In 1999, the museum won a Guinness World Record as the largest museum devoted to a single fruit. At the time, it held a collection of 17,000 items. [4] [6] [7] [8]
The collection included kitschy items such as a "banana couch, banana soda, gold-plated banana, banana boogie board, and banana ears". [5] The museum housed the only petrified banana in the world, which came from the closet of a girl in Kentucky. [1] [6] The museum was family-friendly, despite a history of people sending in lewd objects. [1] [4] [5]
There was also a Banana Bar that served banana-related food and drinks. [1] [7]
![]() Museum interior, July 2017 | |
| |
Established | 1976 |
---|---|
Location | Mecca, California |
Coordinates | 33°31′42″N 115°56′36″W / 33.528350°N 115.943433°W |
Curator | Fred Garbutt |
Website |
internationalbananamuseum |
The International Banana Museum was a museum located in Mecca, California, dedicated to the banana. [1] The one-room museum contained more than 20,000 items related to bananas. [1] In 1999, the museum set a Guinness World Record as the largest museum devoted to a single fruit. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum stated it would close. [2] As of August 2023, it remained closed. [3]
In 1972, Kenneth Bannister was a president of a photographic equipment manufacturing company, and at a manufacturers' conference, he handed out thousands of Chiquita banana stickers. [1] [4] [5] His joke was that since the banana was shaped like a smile, it might encourage people to do so. [1]
Encouraged by the positive response, Bannister created the International Banana Club and was designated as the "Top Banana". [1] He started receiving banana-related items in the mail, but began to run out of room for all of them. [4] [5] He founded the museum in 1976. [1]
The International Banana Club and Museum operated in Altadena in a rented building. [1] [4] [5] [6] The Banana Club grew to 35,000 members in 17 countries. [4] Donating a banana-related item to the museum would enable one to join the Banana Club, with a nickname and ability to earn "banana merit points", and obtain a degree in "Bananistry". President Ronald Reagan was a member of the club. [1]
In 2005, Bannister relocated the museum to a rent-free city-owned space in Hesperia. [4] [6] However, in 2010, the Hesperia Recreation and Park District wanted the museum to move out to make room for a new exhibit. [6] Bannister placed the entire collection on eBay for $45,000. [4] [6] He lowered the price to $7,500 [4] and in 2010, Fred Garbutt bought the collection for an undisclosed amount, moving it to Mecca, California, and becoming the new curator. It was reported that Bannister had agreed to a purchase price below $7,500. [1] [5]
In 1999, the museum won a Guinness World Record as the largest museum devoted to a single fruit. At the time, it held a collection of 17,000 items. [4] [6] [7] [8]
The collection included kitschy items such as a "banana couch, banana soda, gold-plated banana, banana boogie board, and banana ears". [5] The museum housed the only petrified banana in the world, which came from the closet of a girl in Kentucky. [1] [6] The museum was family-friendly, despite a history of people sending in lewd objects. [1] [4] [5]
There was also a Banana Bar that served banana-related food and drinks. [1] [7]