Baseball players have one. So does country musicians and film stars. So why not toys? Why indeed! This is exactly the reason why the National Toy Hall of Fame was established in 1998. Its mission is to showcase the very best toys that brightened children’s lives over the past few decades. The basic criteria for inclusion are:
-
Icon Status ““ The toy is widely used and recognized as a leader in the field
-
Longevity ““ No ‘flash in the pans’ need apply
-
Discovery ““ The toy must facilitate learning in some way
-
Innovation ““ The toy must have changed play and/or toy design in some way
Visiting the National Toy Hall of Fame (currently located at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York) can be a deeply satisfying, and even moving, walk down memory lane since you are bound to come across something that you played with as a kid.
If you are wondering whether your favorite plaything as a child made it into the Hall of Fame, wonder no longer!
1. Barbie ““ Inducting Barbie into the Hall of Fame was probably something of a no-brainer since she was already hobnobbing with the rich and famous from all over the world! Poor Ken, however, was left playing his eternal supporting role and was not inducted.
2. Crayola Crayons ““ One wonders how many art careers were launched by opening a humble looking green and yellow box containing Crayola’s contribution to childhood creativity. They don’t taste too bad either…
3. Erector Set ““ If it exists (and even if it doesn’t) you can build it with an Erector Set. No wonder then that many engineers point back to playing with it as the initial spark of inspiration that launched them on their careers
4. Frisbee ““ Who would have thought that throwing a plate-like object can be such a satisfying experience? The enduring popularity of the Frisbee proves that meaningful play needs no rational explanation.
5. Hula Hoops ““ Some can do it, many others can’t. Yet few toys have defined a generation as much as these simple, brightly colored, plastic rings did.
6. Lego ““ From humble Danish beginnings Lego has evolved into a global favorite of children and adults alike. The fact that you can visit wildly popular ‘Legolands‘ all over the world is a testimony to this fact.
7. Lincoln Logs ““ Still selling strongly after more than eighty years on the market Lincoln Logs typifies something of the ‘can do’ American spirit as it tells the story of how it is possible to rise from a log cabin to the White House.
8. Marbles ““ It doesn’t get any simpler than this. Generations of children all over the world can testify to enduring appeal of trying to outsmart each other using nothing but brightly colored glass orbs.
9. Monopoly ““ Streets, hotels, houses, banks. The basics of Capitalism all rolled into a board game. If anything the sometimes interminable nature of the game teaches kids that success in business requires patience and more than a bit of luck!
10. Play-Doh ““ Originally developed as a, failed, wall paper cleaner Play-Doh has gone on to delight creative little minds all over the world. An astonishing 900 million pounds have been manufactured to date and its distinctive smell has even been turned into a limited edition perfume!
11. Radio Flyer Wagon ““ The first Radio Flyer Wagon (called ‘Liberty Coaster‘) was produced in 1924 and it has been in continuous production since then. The distinctive red wagon allowed many a child to imagine him/herself as the owner of an independent ‘set of wheels’.
12. Roller Skates ““ Just when walking started to feel slightly ‘old school’ roller skates came along to put a generation of kids on wheels! Thousands of bumps and bruises later it is still a firm favorite in its modern (inline) incarnation.
13. Teddy Bear ““ The ‘Teddy Bear‘ was so named after US President Franklin (Teddy) Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear on a 1902 hunting trip. A toy maker designed a ‘Teddy’s Bear‘ to commemorate the occasion and the rest is history.
14. Tinkertoy ““ Another toy designed to help kids to let their imaginations run wild Tinkertoy has been in production since 1914. It consists of a series of spools and sticks with which surprisingly complex structures can be built.
15. View-Master ““ These days many kids own mobile phones that are capable of playing video clips. To previous generations, however, the View-Master was the closest they got to their own portable entertainment centre. The View-Master, with its distinctive shape and red color, was capable of ‘playing’ seven ‘stereo images’ on a paper disk.
16. Duncan Yo-Yo ““ Yo-yo’s are certainly not a modern phenomenon and references to the toy (although not the name!) goes back to ancient Greece. It was, however, popularized in the modern era by Donald Duncan who started manufacturing yo-yo’s on a grand scale during the height of the Great Depression! Yo-yoing is still wildly popular and can even be regarded as a competitive sport these days.
This concludes the list of original inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Look out for the names and descriptions of subsequent inductees in the weeks to come.