Yes, it is real. No, it is not a joke.
Our now retired staff member, John French, started the Moist Towelette Museum when working at the Navarro College Planetarium in Corsicanna, Texas. As humans have a natural inclination to collect, he started collecting moist towelettes in his office. During a planetarium conference, there was an empty display case so he decided to put the moist towelettes in there. He called it the Moist Towelette Museum on a whim and it became a hit! The collection moved to East Lansing with him when he started working at the Abrams Planetarium. That is how Abrams Planetarium became home to one of the smallest and quirkiest museums in the world.
Our new production coordinator, Aspen Folse, has graciously chosen to keep the museum in the office while John French remains on as curator emeritus.
The museum has towelettes from all over the world and from many different decades. There is one used one that was sent to him by Tom and Ray Magliozzi of Car Talk fame. Most items in the collection have been donated to the museum by planetarium colleagues and visitors from the world.
The museum is generally open whenever the main office is open. But it is someone's office, so it is best to call ahead if you want to see this hidden gem.
John maintains the website www.moisttowlettemuseum.com if you would like to learn more about the collection. It has also been featured in several news papers and TV shows over the years.
Here are some articles and videos you can check out.
Unwrapped - Season 10, Episode 9 - "Sticky Stuff" (last 3 minutes of episode)
"Moist Towelette Museum, Michigan" - This Belongs in a Museum
"Fancy One Last Summer Road Trip to the Moist Towelette Museum?" - 91.3 WCSG
"Michigan is Home to the World’s Only Moist Towelette Museum" - WKFR 103.3
"Moist Towelette Museum" - Atlas Obscura
"Moist Towelette Museum: The quirkiest collection you'll ever see" - Fox 17