Museum: 5 stars! Customer service: 1 Today (4/22) was our second time visiting and last week (4/14) was our first! The first time we came by, I asked about their free day and at least 3 representatives let me know it's on Tuesday. It was just my daughter and I there in the front at the time as far as customers go, and I say at least three because I asked my question aloud to all workers behind the desk. Alas, we came this Tuesday and understand that I wasn't properly advised when I initially asked about their community hours: Tuesday's after 3! It's disappointing to me that the same workers we spoke to our first visit, including the manager, turned my daughter and I away at 2:30 pm. She cried those whole 30 mins, though it was worth saving the $40. I would have stopped by the park across the street first or done ANYTHING else to save the fit she had- my poor girl was disappointed and I am too. Community hours are Tuesday's! AFTER 3PM. Super cool! THINKERY REPS: noting that hours are particular and specific is important. I walked out after finding out I was misinformed around 2:15pm I went back to ask for a manger around 2:30 to communicate to my daughter what was going on as it was my attempt to console her. As a parent, I'm her advocate. I shared this all with the manager and he told me their info is online. :( poor service and again, it blows my mind that it was the same people I spoke to our first visit. read more

This a great place to bring children, even at the toddler age. I went with my friend and her family. Her children were the ages of 4, 6, and 8, and there were many activities at the museum to peek all of their interests....shoot, even mine! I also liked how some of the activities helped with their motor skills, and made them really use their brains (hence the name thinkery). We went from 1-4pm, and never got bored. They have a pretty cool outdoor play area too. I recommend this place for a family with kids of all ages. It is $18 a person, but I found out if you have a Medicaid or SNAP card, you get your whole family in for free. read more

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First time members this year. We opted to get a membership since it is essentially the price of two or three visits. It is a good alternative to playing outside when it is hot or rainy. Our oldest is newly a big brother so we take him regularly to give him some time to run off energy. I really wish they had longer hours. I thought their summer hours were their normal hours and I'm not sure if it is worth it since I was hoping to take my son during the weekdays occasionally. Our three year old has fun here and especially loved the food and water sections. read more

Thinkery - Kids Activities Near Me - Austin, Texas

I give it one star for the following reasons: 1) Very expensive. They charge for adults and kids and it adds up quick. Expect to spend $70 to $100 on a family. 2) It is pretty small. There is not a ton to see for the price tag. 3) It is in somewhat disrepair. Many of the attractions were busted or a huge mess. For example, the gears and gizmos had very few functional pieces for the kids to play with, but a huge pile of broken stuff or barely functioning stuff. 4) It's pretty dirty. The outdoor playground was pretty nasty and inside it's a mess. I understand the kids make a mess and the staff did their best, but the paint area was disgusting and many of the play areas were just dirty. I don't recommend this place at all. read more

I really wanted to give this place 4 stars but I had to put three while me and my family constantly go here for all the fun and activities,my kid really loves it her , now I'm concerned about the books they sell in this place I would not recommend the books here it was inappropriate and the fact that it was written for a baby it's even more concerning kids don't need to know about the adult content . Please don't confuse our children or brainwash this propaganda!!! read more

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As a parent of a toddler, I really enjoyed going to the Thinkery with my daughter! It has a little bit of everything for all ages and my husband and I found ourselves having a wonderful time checking out all the exhibits with our daughter. A few things 1. If you have an annual membership at a science museum and if it's part of the ASTC network, you could be eligible for free admission. We have a membership for the Fleet science center in San Diego (very cool if you're in the area) and because of that, my husband, toddler, and I were able to get in for free. 2. The Thinkery will validate your parking for up to 3 hours if you park in the McBee Street District garage. It'll save you up to $6 which is pretty cool! 3. Check out their calendar for special events. When we were there, we noticed that there was a story time event taking place on the second floor which looked really fun. On the first floor, there was an art area in which the craft changes. My daughter got to make a bug print craft and she had a blast! 4. The location is super convenient. There is a coffee shop called Haylcon located across from the Thinkery that serves coffee and alcohol. Lick honest ice creams is also nearby and that was a delicious treat. There are also a number of other food options in the same place depending on what you're in the mood for. Overall we had so much fun and I highly recommend taking your littles to the Thinkery next time you're in the area! read more

Nasty location!! This place has maggots, roaches, and mold throughout, not a safe space for children! They don't listen to staff and are dismissive when staff members speak up. Their only positive thing is their amazing staff that look out for the safety and wellbeing of the children. read more

This a great place to take your kid(s) to keep them occupied for a few hours. About a dozen indoor and outdoor areas for kids to explore. There's a really cool climbing structure outdoors with netting surrounding it to protect the kids from falling - you'll get to see your toddler scurry around like a spider on a web. The toddlers loved the innovator's workshop where there were simple tools and machines, the notion of motion (ping pong balls and air tubes!), the light lab and also the farmer's market. I believe they also have rooms to rent for birthday parties and events, but they are strict on time limits. Bring your sanitary wipes though - kids are grimy and you'll be wanting to wipe those little paws at the end of the day. read more

Before having a baby, I'd walk by The Thinkery and say "that place looks like fun" but would never go because it's weird to go to a kids museum as an adult... right? So, I had a baby so I could go. She's currently about 9 months and we've been to The Thinkery five times. We went once to the free Community Night when she was 4 months old and it was just not the vibe for us. It was SO PACKED and she couldn't really do much because there were a lot of bigger kids running around. It also wasn't really free because they asked for a donation at the door which we were happy to pay (as it supports STEM access for kids) but something to keep in mind. After that experience, I though "eh, we'll wait until she's older" until a friend told me about 'Baby Bloomers' on Saturdays 8-10am (and I believe they added Mondays now). Baby Bloomers is a time when the museum is open just to kids 0-2 (and their grown-ups) with activities geared towards that age. I took her to Baby Bloomers when she was about 5 months and it still felt a little above her since she couldn't sit or crawl... until story time! The story time leader did some fun sign language songs and really made the book come alive. My girl was enthralled! Since then, I've been back a few times and, each time, she can enjoy more and more of the Baby Bloomers activities. I would recommend it best for kids who are at least 6 months old and best for kids who can crawl and/or walk. Activities include: - themed sensory play (ex: this month is the 5 senses) - two play areas where they can climb, roll, etc. - two 15-minute story times and a parachute play time - a water sensory area (warning: you will get wet) I also like that, because it's early on a Saturday, you can park for free right outside the museum. I also usually hop over to Halcyon afterwards for my coffee. I would like to go more often but it's $18 each time ($9 per person including baby so two parents and a baby would be $27). Considering I can usually only get an hour of actual play due to wake windows, feeding, etc., it feels a little too much for me. (I wish I could have taken better pictures but I want to respect people's privacy and it's possible to take a pic without a kid in it. So, you get the back of my kid's head). read more

Thinkery - My little one loves the interactive story time - Kids Activities Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This is a nice place to take a young child on a rainy or cloudy day. They have several activities for the kids to play, especially on a rainy day. The staff are nice and their are several stations for the kids to play in. This seems to be best suited for young kids though. My 4 year old niece had fun but I the younger kids really seemed to enjoy themselves more. Overall, I think we would return if she had friends over to go with her. read more

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I was keeping my 3yr old granddaughter and decided to go to the Thinkery. After reading mixed reviews I was not sure what to expect. Given I have never been to any other children's museums I did not have anything to compare to but OMG this place is fabulous! First, parking is not easy unless you use the garage next to it. The Thinkery will validate the parking ticket (just make sure you insert the ticket the correct direction in the machine to get the validation). There is no food or drink allowed so it floors me that others have given bad reviews for blatantly violating this policy. And there are also bins around to place items that belong to the Thinkery into that may have made it into a child's mouth or gotten dirty if people will just follow directions. We went during a paid time (I'm sure the free community hours are packed and harder to interact). I purchased tickets online the night before and it did not take long to get in since we had the QR code on my phone that they scanned when we entered. The market area upstairs and the light room downstairs were where my granddaughter spent most of her time but I had to be firm about leaving after 3 hours and we still didn't make it to every area to play. She could have literally spent the entire day there! We will definitely be going back again to make it through the rest of the areas. The entire place is not as large as I had envisioned but it is jam packed with so many interactive things that it's more than sufficient for most children. I did notice that some younger kids struggled at some stations without a lot of adult help and some older kids played but quickly got bored and moved to another area faster but for a child 2-6 they will definitely spend a lot of enjoyable time there. Make sure to bring an extra change of clothes. We had a water mishap half way through and I was thankful I was smart enough to have an extra change of clothes with us! read more

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We were there during a very crowded time. It was so crowded to the point that you'd run into someone anytime you tried to turn around. The chicken coop had over 10 children at times. They were frustratingly short on the number of baskets and trains for the number of kids who wanted to play. The infant area was so packed that there was nowhere to toddle over. The corner on the second floor with the foam noodles and soft steps were quite out of date. The equipment looked very worn down. The book shelf at the reading area had maybe 5 books? Not sure what happened to the rest. Don't come during peak times. It was overwhelming, not worth it, and was just a germ factory. read more

Came to Austin for a mini-trip with the family - our first one since the pandemic and the first one ever for the 19 month old. I had to rethink my usual packed itinerary and look up things geared towards young kids and came across this place. It's located in a newish area of town (or definitely new to me in the 2 years since I was last in town). Much of the area was still under construction. We parked in the McBee Street Parking Garage the next block over - free validated parking for 3 hours - and walked over. We purchased our tickets in advance online (recommended) so all we did was get them scanned and we got stamped. You can leave and return any time the same day, granted the ink stamp you got upon arrival is still present. No food or drinks allowed except for water and formula. Those under the age of 2 are free. The staff all wore face masks but it's optional for visitors (barely a handful were masked). The staff are super friendly and enthusiastic. There are 2 floors with various sections. It could be a little overwhelming, especially if you're new, but there's a map with recommended ages for each area once you get to the elevators. Because we have a 5 year old and a 19 month old, we went to every station. Sadly, the Littlest one wasn't in a good mood (teething?) so he was clingy for much of our time there except for the last 20 minutes. There's an outdoor play area that looked really neat, but perhaps a bit difficult for a small 5 year old. My daughter a LOVES play areas but the height of it was a little intimidating and she never really made it far, but she liked the neighboring water way with boats and "logs." There's a "CURRENTS" section with water play where you can learn and play. It comes with a waterproof vest you can don on. Yes, it's likely you'll get wet. My 5 year old liked this the best. Other areas include lights (this was a winner, though the light painting area wasn't working), motion (she tried playing with everything in her), food play area (she liked this too), story time (she didn't like this... she doesn't enjoy sitting down)...), and a shoeless, gentle play area for those less than 2. I feel like it was fun, but it's very dependent on your kids. Once 5yo warmed up to it, she was good, but it took a little bit of time. She liked it overall, but I didn't feel like she LOVED it. I feel like if we were close enough so she could go a few more times, she would be more comfortable with everything. Great idea and lots of potential! I did love all their restrooms... male, female, family restrooms. Breastfeeding room. Major kudos! It's located across the street from a nice park and Mueller Lake, surrounded by eateries and shops! You can easily stay in the area all day. read more

Pretty neat place for the kids but I'd be hesitant to recommend it for just a single outing without membership. $72 for 2 adults and 2 kids was an insane amount for what is available. read more

We came on a Sunday around the lunch hour, and there were a ton of people. So many kids. This place was great! Other children museums I've gone to don't have much in terms of things for infants and young toddlers to do, but this one had a good amount. There was a little play pen with colored blocks and spinny things, etc. which were so good for my 9 month old. She could reach the toys on the play pen walls while sitting. There was also a large play area with a bunch of cool thing activities like a bunch of different sized mirrors on a large portion of one wall. And the area was marked off for infants and toddlers under 2 (I think it was two. I'm pretty sure it was two. Maybe 3). They even have a Baby Bloomers time where the museum is open for two hours from 8-10 AM on Saturday and Monday for babies specifically ages 3 and under. I am disappointed that we missed this while we were in town, but I would definitely go if you want dedicated museum time tailored for your infant! There were multiple family restrooms with and places to nurse and change diapers. So glad we went to Thinkery while we were in town. If we ever go back to Austin, I would definitely visit again. read more

I guess one could say it's not really fair for me to rate this place given that I am an adult and have no children, however, my husband and I decided to drop in just on a chill Sunday morning assuming there would be some interesting activities even for grown adults such as ourselves. We enjoy museums and had not yet been to this one, mostly since it is known to cater solely to children, and our assumptions were confirmed after our 20-min. visit today. I can definitely see and appreciate the value of this place for kids of all ages, but mostly young children. I liked how the museum is sectioned off by category: motion/movement, lights/electricity, water/currents, an outdoor playground, and a food/grocery store area. There's a lot of cool things to tinker with and learn from that appeals to your 5 senses. It seems like a great place for birthday parties and learning and Sunday fun! I can't say that it's the least bit entertaining for adults with no children (I guess I was hoping for something similar to the Doseum in San Antonio that is both interesting for children and adults), but it certainly has great value to it for families and kids and I 100% support spending money there! read more

My 4yo thoroughly enjoyed himself. There is so much to see and do here. His favorite room was the light lab. He spent at least 30 minutes in there before I suggested we check out the upstairs. Next favorite was the water room. He enjoyed making the wheels turn with water. We could've spent all day here!! Bonus: they validate parking for the garage across the street read more

Love everything Thinkery has offered for my daughter. The older she gets the more excited she becomes when we go. Before my daughter arrived, I took my nephews here in 2018. So it's been a treat for everyone. Our most recent experience left us feeling less than thrilled. The reason I'm writing this review is to bring awareness to the water station/room upstairs. Of the handful of times my daughter and I have visited, the water station has always been a highlight for her. This last time, we walked into the room and it smelled foul. Very musty and not clean. As we continued to walk around the water table, I looked into where the bowls and water toys are located and there appeared to be brown residue or some type of floating substance in the water. I counted a handful of toys that had black residue around the outer edges. The murky substance was floating all around the water and again, it smelled. The room didn't appear to be clean and kept up from what we have seen in the past. Hoping this is not a trend as we really enjoy coming here! read more

Thinkery - Murky residue coming off of facets - Kids Activities Near Me - Austin, Texas

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It would be great but it's hard to enjoy when there are kids on field trips. They cause it to be super chaotic, unorganized, overcrowded and frankly unsafe for younger children when the older kids are pushing their way through everything and trampling over the little ones. It ruins everyone else's experience when there are field trips because kids are running, screaming about and pushing their way in front of little ones. It makes it hard for the little ones to have a chance to interact. They are often spread out across every room, leaving no safe space for little ones to enjoy their play. The parents and field trip chaperones often don't keep a close enough eye on the older kids and don't redirect their wild behavior. Field trips should happen on days or hours when closed to the public or should be better organized, where older kids are not spread out in every single room. It leaves no safe, calm playing space for the younger ones to enjoy when there are large groups of chaotic field trip students in each room. There needs to be lower limits as to how many are allowed at a time. It's not safe for that many kids to be given free playing rein at the same time. read more

Thinkery is doing everything they can to help social distancing by offering timed entry. All above the age of 24 months are required to wear a mask indoor. Staff surveys everyone while checking in to ensure minimum risk to all. Although we are members and some staff recognizes us, they have been consistent and always asks us the same Covid survey questions. They also circle around the area to make sure guests continue to remain masked indoor. Masks, as of the last week in December, was optional Outdoors. Three hour of free parking is included with admission. Therefore, after playing at the thinkery, you will still have time to grab coffee, ice cream, or even eat at a nearby restaurant. Also, Mueller lake park is literally across the street. There was the one time when my daughter just wasn't having it at thinkery but was okay strolling around the park and lake. I just love having there option open as kids are unpredictable at times. read more

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I cannot say enough good things about our trip to Thinkery. Traveling with a 2 year old is never easy but this amazing museum gave us such a fun morning of experiences and pictures we'll always remember. We initially planned on doing their Saturday morning program that's exclusively for kids 0-3 but our schedule just wasn't working for that and the tickets for that timeslot were all sold out anyway. Thankfully while in the airport we met a lovely couple from Austin who spoke highly of Thinkery and told us it wasn't necessary to go special at that time, that there was plenty to see and do on our own. After hearing them rave we knew it was a must do so we were there at 10am when they opened Sunday morning (this also meant free parking which never hurts). Tip: if you're a teacher, law enforcement, or health care worker make sure you let them know - the price is discounted. I didn't have my teacher ID on me and they did it anyway which was much appreciated. Once inside Junior was free to roam the many amazing exhibits they had. Everything was hands on and truly had something for all ages to do. We especially loved the water play center, food market and light studio. Kudos for having protective gear (smocks etc) for the little ones when doing water play and painting, this made cleanup much easier and was greatly appreciated. We will definitely be coming again on our next visit to Austin to see what more fun we can find at Thinkery read more

Thinkery is such a fun place with a great variety of activities that go far beyond other run-of-the-mill play spaces. There are several play areas: an outdoor playground with water, ropes to climb, and a cool music setup, a dark room with lots of light up trinkets to play with, a train set, a humongous play market where kids can "grocery shop", a reading area (they also do story time here), and a water play area. I'm pretty sure I'm even forgetting some areas! My son's favorite is probably the water area where the kids can bang on drums, scoop up water in cups, squirt water, and so much more! We likely could've stayed here the whole time because he enjoys it as much as he does. I also love that they provide little water resistant smocks and crocs so the kiddos' shoes don't stay wet. My only true criticism of Thinkery is that there aren't a lot of opportunities for connection. In a time where we're all feeling more and more lonely and yearning for connection after the pandemic, connection is something we should all be prioritizing. And you'd think that a space filled with curious children and their parents would be optimal for connection but it's not. I'll tell you why I think that is: there are so many people in the building that it's overwhelmingly loud, overstimulating, and overcrowded. I believe most parents are on high alert (wrangling, making sure children are taking turns, redirecting, and trying not to straight up lose their kid) without much space to relax, make eye contact, and connect. In an ideal world, Thinkery would let in about half of the people that they typically do so patrons can have a more robust, impactful experience. For that reason, I'd give Thinkery a connection rating of 3/5. Everything else is superb! read more

Thinkery - Kids Activities Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Garbage. Complete trash. The place is run down and the staff is terrible. Not a safe place for kids at all.

Not impressed. Took our granddaughter, who had just turned 11. Not much there for her age group. What surprised me the most was the condition of the exhibits and hands on displays. Almost every station had something broken, missing, or just a mess. I realize kids make messes, but it was early on a weekday and the place looked like nothing had been cleaned or replaced from the previous week. At least they validate parking. read more

Took the girls on a adventure today. We ended up at the Thinkery in Austin. A hands on facility that allows children to explore their creativity while having fun with science, art, and physics. There's a light lab, water room, paint center, Notion in motion, a spark room, and an outdoor jungle gym. The girls loved it!!! And it's a great little excursion for a reasonable price. read more

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A lovely place to bring your toddlers and older kids . So many fun learning and playing activities . My husband and I took our 1 year old here and he had a blast. read more

New in Austin and checked out this place. Wow, it was big and so much fun! I had so much fun than my kids. Lots of activities in the building. We spent over 3 hours there. Summer is hot here, and thinkery is definitely highly recommended to wear out your kids. PS get membership if your kiddo is young and energetic. read more

Thinkery - Outdoor playground - Kids Activities Near Me - Austin, Texas

LOVE this place and so does my son. They have a ton of different activities and setups for them to play in and it's always a good time. Plenty of places to eat also around there. Validated free parking for up to 3 hours so you will have plenty of time to chill and enjoy yourself without having to pay for parking. read more

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One of our favorite local children's museums in Austin, updating photos of newer exhibitions. We suggest an annual membership for $100 and free 3-hour parking validations included. Fun restaurants nearby and also a park across the street. The Mueller area is a newer , hip development. read more

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Absolutely loved this place. We took our 4 children while on vacation with my parents and everyone enjoyed themselves. We all played . Everything is hands on with many stations and areas to choose from. They have sensory packs when you enter if needed . The bathrooms are clean and they have a nursing room made for mom, baby, and to entertain a small child. They change out the areas weekly so there is always something different. I would definitely visit the Thinkery again if we come back to Austin. read more

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Great kids museum with several activities to keep kids busy. My kid really enjoyed the outdoor playground area. read more

Thinkery - Outdoor playground area - Kids Activities Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Lots of fun, educational things for kids to do. Validated parking lot near by, indoor and outdoor activities

I think this is a good spot that has the potential to be amazingto The day we went there were several field trips there at the same time- at least 4 at once. I think it could be limited. It was very overwhelming, not just for myself but also my toddlers. Lots of fun things to do but to it's overpriced (because parents have to pay as well which I find odd) read more

First time coming to the Thinkery and all I got to say is... ABSOLUTELY FUN!! My little one is 1.5yrs old and she totally loved it! She especially loved the Notion of Motion room and Currents room. All ages can enjoy themselves here because I know my s/o and I did! (that's just my opinion haha). There really is a lot to see and do here and I even considered getting a membership here because it was just that amazing for us! Definitely will be going again soon!! read more

What a great rainy day activity for us while we were in town. Our kids are 11, 4 and 1 and al three had a blast. We wish this was closer to home so we could come back more often. Masks are still required here but that's ok since our kids are good with them. I would suggest if your kids are not good with a mask I would wait. Mask wearing is strictly enforced. Along with no eating and snacking in the facility. We come at 1:45 and had to wait a bit but once we got in there was so much to do for all three of our kids. Tough to make it work for everyone but they've done a great job here. read more

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Really geared towards toddlers. I have a 11, 8, and 2 year old. There's a couple floors, but the majority is meant for the youngest crowd. Also a tip that there is no place to eat inside. We had that unpleasant surprise as we were there for a quick stop on our way back to DFW and were there for just a short half day. ASTC pass holders only get a few passes in, something I also didn't foresee. There's an amazing play market upstairs and interactive are that takes half the floor. The other half being water play. Again more for the younger crowd. read more

This is such an exciting place for kids of all ages especially the younger toddlers like my little one who loves to explore and learn. For the price it's a great deal for all day family fun. I'd recommend this place to anyone in the Austin area and allow yourself a few hours to explore. Have a great time! read more

We spent 45 minutes driving there only to find out they were sold out of tickets for the particular time block. Not to mention the place looked totally empty. That was no bother because we could come back in 40 minutes (An easy feat with a 1 and 2 year old). I then asked if I could use the bathroom since it had taken a while to get there. The person working the counter then responded "Um...I guess if you are coming back." It was a bad first impression. read more

This is a review of the Gingerbread house workshop. Quite underwhelming and very over priced. Between the cost of the seat, the gingerbread house, and the entrance to museum fee you are over 100$ for just one house. They hardly give you any candy to work with, which is really frustrating considering the expense. The house does not come pre- assembled which means you'll spend most of the hour you're given building it. Instructions will say use the toothpicks if the icing isn't holding it together, but the house is way too hard for a toothpick to penetrate. Also, really didn't appreciate the staff member cleaning up our little mess on the table AS my child was decorating. Like, right in our way all up in our space. That could have waited. read more

If you have littles that are constantly on the go, this place is for you!! We took our girl here and she was absolutely enamored with the water tables and the painting wall. She is still too young to enjoy some of the other sensory tables but that didn't stop her from trying them out! This place is great for all ages! It has a reading nook, an outdoor play area, water tables, a breastfeeding privacy area, they have a play space for those under the age of 30 months, an art space and so much more!! We'll definitely be going back and explore areas that we didn't get to see! read more

Thinkery - Water sensory tables - Kids Activities Near Me - Austin, Texas

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