The Toy World’s Highest Honor

October 8, 2013

It’s the EGOT of the toy world! On October 1, the National Toy Hall of Fame announced the 2013 finalists for induction into the hall: bubbles, chess, Clue, Fisher-Price Little People, little green army men, Magic 8 Ball, My Little Pony, Nerf toys, Pac-Man, rubber duck, scooter, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Only two lucky toys will join the prestigious list of hall of famers.

Although a national selection committee will choose the 2013 inductees, you can cast your vote in the public poll. So far, the 1980s toys are the front-runners… gnarly dude!

Don’t see your favorite toy? Then submit a nomination for 2014. But first, make sure your nominee passes the hall’s rigorous set of criteria: the toy must be widely recognized and respected; it must have longevity, having been enjoyed by generations; it must foster learning, creativity, or discovery; and it has to be innovative, having profoundly changed play or toy design. Does your favorite toy have what it takes?

Photo: Courtesy of The Strong, Rochester, New York.