My son has an uncanny ability to plan his exhibits around times that make them pertinent beyond the capricious interests of a child his age. Some of the other exhibits he’s curated have all landed in or around thematically appropriate semesters. (e.g. Smurfs’ 65th anniversary and the release of The Garfield Movie). This one is no exception.

Even though he finished watching all the backlog of Crocodile Hunter specials and episodes we could find (and reading the Steve and Me memoir by Terri) some time back he wanted this fall semester’s exhibit to be about Steve Irwin. The exhibit just happens to overlap the 20th anniversary of Steve’s death on September 4, 2006.

The whole thing started when he received a copy of the 100th title in the Who Was…? book series. Who Was Steve Irwin? won a reader poll to receive the place of honor as their 100th publication.

I was just aging out of high school when the Crocodile Hunter was beginning its ascent into the shared cultural consciousness and I admit I found watching it to be a bit much given the intensity with which Steve lived and worked. He was always full-throttle.

Watching my son watching the show gave me a new perspective on the whole thing. I do still find Steve a bit too much at times, but I understand and appreciate his passion for wildlife and equally understand that the show wasn’t meant for me. My son loved them. And he loved telling us about the episodes even more.

So here we are 20 years later, and not only is Steve Irwin inspiring another generation to respect and love nature, but to also live their lives to the fullest, fueled by their passions. And that’s worthy of an exhibition any day, even if there aren’t a whole lot of things to include.

Have I mentioned before how much I dislike Funko Pops even through they make excellent additions to exhibits, have property licenses that no one else does, and my house has a row of them (mostly cartoons and ad related figures–when was the last time you saw Rocky and Bullwinkle figures available for purchase?) across the tops of the cabinets.

I mentioned that he already read this entire memoir before finishing the series. He wanted to read everything he could about Steve, and I was surprised there wasn’t more out there. A few unofficial kids’ books and this. He said it was good and he liked it. I haven’t read it so I can’t speak for it on that accord, but I trust him.

Crocodile Hunter aficionados and/or completionists will note that we did not include Collision Course. This was his curated decision. I had asked him if he wanted to watch it because it has Steve and Terri in it. He asked what it was about so I told him. He said something along the lines of “oh, so it’s just a movie then, not like his shows with him working in nature?” I told him yeah, and he said “No, thanks, I’ll keep watching his show.” It is a pretty great poster though.

A lot has changed in the last 20 years. But the Irwin family’s dedication to wildlife hasn’t. Both his children have grown into adults that I don’t think Steve could be more proud of. That alone is a legacy worth celebrating.