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The Toy Hall of Fame is part of the National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. Every year, the hall inducts three new toys. To have an impact on the winners in November, people can vote for their favorite toy. Voting can be done now through Sept. 16.
Toys are judged on various criteria to make it into the hall of fame: icon status, longevity, creativity, and innovation. The hall of fame was founded in 1998.
The 2020 finalists are:
Baby Nancy, one of the first and most popular black baby dolls made in America. The doll was made by Sindana Toys in 1968 to “reflect black pride and talent,” the hall of fame said.
Bingo was first played in Italy around 1530 and made its way to America as a carnival game in the 1920s.
Breyer Horses, are those hand-crafted, detailed horse toys that are prized by kids and collectors.
Jenga is based on an African game with wooden blocks called “kujenga,” Swahili for “to build.”
Lite Brite was created in 1966. Children poke colored plastic into a light board to make pretty designs.
Master of the Universe Toys is the technical term for He-Man action figures, accessories, and playsets. Introduced in the 1980s by Mattel, He-Man took a new approach to sell and create toys by linking the playthings to cartoons and comic books.
My Little Pony has been rebooted several times since the toy was first produced in the 1980s. The most recent version of the mini, colorful horses, unicorns, and pegasi came out in 2003. Between all the versions, there are about 1,000 varieties of My Little Pony.
Risk is a classic board game of strategy and world domination. It came out in 1959 and some people have been playing the same match ever since. (The wargame can take a long time to complete depending on the players’ strategies.)
Sidewalk chalk is pretty self-explanatory: huge sticks of chalk perfect for drawing outside decorations, signs, and games.
Sorry is a board game descended from an ancient India cross circle game “pachisi” or Parcheesi in the U.S. Instead of dice, players use cards.
Tamagotchi was a 1990s toy that was part videogame. Kids got a digital pet contained in a pocket-sized egg that they had to play with, feed, water, and more, or else it would “die.”
Yahtzee is a shake ‘em up, fast-paced dice game that is simple to play and luck-based.
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