Established | 1998 |
---|---|
Location | The Strong, Rochester, NY |
Type | Hall of Fame |
Collections | Toys |
Website | museumofplay.org/toy-hall-of-fame |
The National Toy Hall of Fame is a U.S. hall of fame that recognizes the contributions of toys and games that have sustained their popularity for many years. Criteria for induction include: icon status (the toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered); longevity (more than a passing fad); discovery (fosters learning, creativity, or discovery); and innovation (profoundly changed play or toy design). [1] Established in 1998 under the direction of Ed Sobey, it was originally housed at A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon, United States, [2] but was moved to the Strong National Museum of Play (now The Strong) in Rochester, New York, in 2002 after it outgrew its original home.
As of 2023, eighty-five (85) toys have been enshrined in the National Toy Hall of Fame:
The original inductees to the National Toy Hall of Fame were announced in November 1999. Students from nearby Willamette University protested (good-naturedly) when they learned that Mr. Potato Head and Barbie's friend Ken were not included. [3]
The following toys were added in 2000:
This year's selections were chosen from a field of 34 nominations by a panel of educators and civic leaders that included Sharon Kitzhaber, wife of Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber. [4] Nominees rejected for the honor this year included G.I. Joe, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the soccer ball, Beanie Babies, the baseball glove and the cap gun. [4]
The following toys were added in 2001:
Both children and adults created a list of 82 nominees over the past year. A national panel of distinguished educators and civic leaders choose two toys for induction this year. [5]
The following toys were added in 2002:
There were more than ninety nominees this year. [6]
The following toys were added in 2003:
Finalists included: Big Wheel tricycle, Candy Land, Clue, Easy-Bake Oven, jack-in-the-box, Lionel trains, Little People, Magic 8 Ball, Matchbox model cars, and Scrabble. [8]
The following toys were added in 2004:
Finalists included: Big Wheel tricycle, Cabbage Patch Kids, Candy Land, Easy-Bake Oven, Hot Wheels, Lionel Trains, Little People, Rubik's Cube, and Wiffle ball. [10]
The following toys were added in 2005:
Finalists included: Atari 2600, Big Wheel tricycle, Cabbage Patch Kids, Clue, Easy-Bake Oven, Hot Wheels, Lionel trains, Little People, Magic 8 Ball, and Wiffle ball. The cardboard box was inducted without nomination. [13]
The following toys were added in 2006:
Finalists included: Atari Game System, Big Wheel tricycle, Lite-Brite, Little People, Hot Wheels, Operation skill game, Pez candy dispenser, the rubber duck, the skateboard, and Twister. [14]
The following toys were added in 2007: [15]
Finalists included: The baby doll, Big Wheel tricycle, The Game of Life, Hot Wheels, My Little Pony dolls, the pogo stick, Spirograph, and Yahtzee . [19]
The following toys were added in 2008: [20]
Finalists included: Clue, the dollhouse, Flexible flyer sleds, The Game of Life, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, Rubik's Cube, Thomas the Tank Engine, Wiffle ball, and Yahtzee. The stick was inducted without nomination. [21]
The following toys were added in 2009: [22]
Finalists included: Cabbage Patch Kids, The Game of Life, Hot Wheels, the paper airplane, playing cards, Rubik's Cube, sidewalk chalk, the toy tea set, and Transformers action figures. [23]
The following toys were added in 2010: [24]
Finalists included: Cabbage Patch Kids, chess, the dollhouse, dominoes, Dungeons & Dragons, Hot Wheels, Lite-Brite, Magic 8 Ball, the pogo stick, and Rubik's Cube. [25]
The following toys were added in 2011: [26]
Finalists included: Dungeons & Dragons, Jenga, pogo sticks, puppets, radio-controlled cars, Rubik's Cube, Simon , Star Wars action figures, Transformers action figures, and Twister. The blanket was inducted without nomination. [27]
The following toys were added in 2012: [28]
Finalists included: Corn Popper, Clue, Lite-Brite, little green army men, Magic 8 Ball, the pogo stick, sidewalk chalk, Simon, the toy tea set, and Twister. [29]
The following toys were added in 2013: [30]
Finalists included: bubbles, Clue, little green army men, Little People, Magic 8 Ball, My Little Pony dolls, Nerf, Pac-Man , scooters, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures. [31]
The following toys were added in 2014: [32]
Finalists included: American girl dolls, Hess toy trucks, Little People, My Little Pony dolls, Operation skill game, the paper airplane, pots and pans, Slip 'n' Slide, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures. [33]
The following toys were added in 2015: [34]
Finalists included: American girl dolls, Battleship , coloring books, Jenga, Playmobil, scooters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, tops, and Wiffle ball. [35]
The following toys were added in 2016: [36]
Finalists included: bubble wrap, Care Bears , coloring books, Clue, Nerf, pinball, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots , Transformers action figures, and Uno. [37]
The following toys were added in 2017: [38]
Finalists included: Magic 8 Ball, Matchbox model cars, My Little Pony dolls, PEZ candy dispensers, play food, Risk, sand, Transformers action figures, and Uno. [39]
The following toys were added in 2018: [40]
Finalists included: American Girl dolls, chalk, Chutes and Ladders , Corn Popper, Flexible Flyer sleds, Masters of the Universe, tic-tac-toe, Tickle Me Elmo, and Tudor Electric Football. [41]
The following toys were added in 2019: [42]
Finalists included: Care Bears, Corn Popper, Jenga, Masters of the Universe, My Little Pony dolls, Nerf Blaster, Risk, smartphones, and tops. [43]
The following toys were added in 2020: [44]
Finalists included: Bingo, Breyer horses, Lite-Brite, Masters of the Universe, My Little Pony dolls, Risk, Sorry! , Tamogatchi, and Yahtzee. [45]
The following toys were added on November 4, 2021: [46]
Finalists included: Battleship, billiards, Cabbage Patch Kids, Corn Popper, mahjong, Masters of the Universe, piñata, The Settlers of Catan , and the toy fire engine. [47]
The following toys were added on November 10, 2022: [48]
Finalists included: Bingo, Breyer horses, Catan, Nerf, Phase 10, piñata, Pound Puppies, Rack-O, and Spirograph. [49]
The following toys were added on November 10, 2023: [50]
Finalists included: Battleship , Bingo, Bop-It, Choose Your Own Adventure books, Connect Four, Ken, Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, slime, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures. [51]
In addition, the Strong highlighted several frequent past finalists as part of a public-driven Forgotten Five vote to induct a fourth toy. Nominees included: Corn Popper, My Little Pony dolls, PEZ candy dispensers, pogo sticks, and Transformers action figures. [52]
The nominees for the class of 2024 were announced on September 18, 2024 and included Apples to Apples , balloons, Choose Your Own Adventure books, Hess toy trucks, My Little Pony dolls, Phase 10, the Pokémon Trading Card Game , remote control vehicles, Sequence , the stick horse, trampolines, and Transformers action figures. [53]
Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of cloth dolls with plastic heads first produced by Coleco Industries in 1982. They were inspired by the Little People soft sculptured dolls sold by Xavier Roberts as collectibles. The brand was renamed 'Cabbage Patch Kids' by Roger L. Schlaifer when he acquired the exclusive worldwide licensing rights in 1982.
Mego Corporation is an American toy company that in its original iteration was first founded in 1954. Originally known as a purveyor of dime store toys, in 1971 the company shifted direction and became famous for producing licensed action figures, celebrity dolls, and the Micronauts toy line. For a time in the 1970s, their line of 8-inch-scale action figures with interchangeable bodies became the industry standard.
Lincoln Logs are an American children's construction toy consisting of square-notched miniature lightweight logs used to build small forts and buildings. They were invented around 1916 by John Lloyd Wright, second son of well-known architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Lincoln Logs were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1999. They are named after U.S. president Abraham Lincoln, who once lived in a log cabin.
The Easy-Bake Oven is a working toy oven introduced in 1963 by Kenner and currently manufactured by Hasbro. The original toy used a pair of ordinary incandescent light bulbs as a heat source; current versions use a true heating element. Kenner sold 500,000 Easy-Bake Ovens in the first year of production. By 1997, more than 16 million Easy-Bake Ovens had been sold.
Nerf is a toy brand formed by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, with other Nerf products including balls for sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Their best known toys are their dart guns that shoot ammunition made from "Nerf foam". Their primary slogan, introduced in the 1990s, is "It's Nerf or Nothin'!". Annual revenues under the Nerf brand are approximately US$400 million.
Wiffle ball is a scaled back variation of baseball that was developed in 1953 in Fairfield, Connecticut. Originally, it was intended to be played in confined space or otherwise small area, but became a popular outdoor activity. The sport is played using a perforated light-weight plastic ball and a long hollow plastic bat. Two teams of one to five players each attempt to advance imaginary runners to home plate, and score, based on where each batter places the ball on the field. The term Wiffle ball may refer to the sport as a whole, or the ball used in the sport. Wiffle is a registered trademark of Wiffle Ball, Inc. and was derived from the slang word whiff meaning to strike out.
Raggedy Ann is a character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) that appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle nose. The character was created in 1915, as a doll, and was introduced to the public in the 1918 book Raggedy Ann Stories. When a doll was marketed with the book, the concept had great success. A sequel, Raggedy Andy Stories (1920), introduced the character of her brother, Raggedy Andy. Further characters such as Beloved Belindy, a black mammy doll, were featured as dolls and characters in books.
John Barton Gruelle was an American artist, political cartoonist, children's book and comics author, illustrator, and storyteller. He is best known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls and as the author/illustrator of dozens of books. He also created the Beloved Belindy doll. Gruelle also contributed cartoons and illustrations to at least ten newspapers, four major news syndicates, and more than a dozen national magazines. He was the son of Hoosier Group painter Richard Gruelle.
American Girl is an American line of 18-inch (46 cm) dolls released on May 5, 1986 by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old girls of various ethnicities, faiths, nationalities, and social classes throughout different time periods throughout history. They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoint of the girls. Originally the stories focused on various periods of American history, but were expanded to include characters and stories from contemporary life. Aside from the original American Girl dolls, buyers also have the option to purchase Truly Me dolls, which vary by eye color, face mold, skin color, hair texture, and hair length. A variety of related clothing and accessories is also available. A service for ordering a custom-made doll with features and clothing specified by the owner dubbed Create Your Own, was introduced in 2017.
Lite-Brite is a toy that was originally marketed in 1967. It consists of a light box with small colored plastic pegs that fit into a panel and illuminate to create a lit picture, by either using one of the included templates or creating a "freeform" image on a blank sheet of black paper.
I Love Toys is a miniseries on VH1 and the eighth installment of the I Love the... series that premiered on March 6, 2006. It is a countdown of the 100 greatest toys, chosen partially through public voting on vh1.com and also consideration of "sales, historical significance and longevity," according to VH1.
Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris Michtom and his wife, Rose. During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll-making company in the United States. Their most popular dolls included Betsy Wetsy, Toni, Saucy Walker, Shirley Temple, Miss Revlon, Patti Playpal, Tammy, Thumbelina, Tiny Thumbelina, and Crissy. The company is also known for selling the Rubik's Cube.
Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure is a 1977 live-action/animated musical fantasy film loosely adapted from the 1924 novel Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees. It was directed by Richard Williams, produced by the Bobbs-Merrill Company, and released theatrically by 20th Century-Fox. A 1941 short film had previously featured the Raggedy Ann and Andy characters created by Johnny Gruelle. It was the first feature-length animated musical comedy film produced in the United States. In the film, Raggedy Ann and Andy, along with other toys, live in Marcella's nursery. During Marcella's seventh birthday, Babette, a doll from France, is introduced as the new doll from a large package. Meanwhile, Captain Contagious kidnaps Babette in the pirate ship and escapes from the nursery. Raggedy Ann and Andy have to explore and find Babette in the Deep Deep Woods to save her.
Shindana Toys, a division of Operation Bootstrap, Inc., was a South Central Los Angeles, California cooperative toy company in business from 1968 to 1983. It was launched as a black empowerment and community rejuvenation effort following the Watts riots. Company proceeds supported businesses in the Watts area. Named after the Swahili word roughly meaning "to compete," Shindana Toys was community-owned and founded by Louis S. Smith, II and Robert Hall. The latter was the company's first CEO and President; though he was succeeded in both posts by Smith. The Chase Manhattan Bank, the Mattel Toy Company, Sears Roebuck & Co., and Equitable Life Assurance helped finance portions of the Shindana Toys operations.
Lonnie George Johnson is an American inventor, aerospace engineer, and entrepreneur, best known for inventing the bestselling Super Soaker water gun in 1989. He was formerly employed at the U.S. Air Force and NASA, where he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Little Tikes is an American manufacturer of children's toys, with headquarters and manufacturing located in Hudson, Ohio. The company also has other manufacturing and distribution facilities in Asia and Europe. Little Tikes' products are mostly low-tech molded plastic toys aimed primarily at infants and young children, for indoor and outdoor use, including its party kitchen and turtle sandbox.
The Strong is an interactive, collections-based educational institution in Rochester, New York, United States, devoted to the study and exploration of play. It carries out this mission through six programmatic arms called "Play Partners":
Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure is a musical with book by William Gibson and songs by Joe Raposo. It is based on the children's stories by Johnny Gruelle and the 1977 feature film Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. The story centers on Marcella, a dying young girl whose toys come to life and take her on a magical adventure to meet The Doll Doctor, in hopes that he can mend her broken heart. Though the show failed on Broadway, it developed a cult following through bootleg recordings.
The World Video Game Hall of Fame is an international hall of fame for video games. The hall's administration is overseen by The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games, and is located at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, United States. The museum began the International Center for the History of Electronic Games in 2009, announced the formation of the hall of fame in February 2015, and opened it on June 4, 2015. It is located in a dedicated part of the "ESL Digital Worlds: High Score" exhibit at the National Museum of Play; prior to an expansion of the museum in 2023 it was located in the museum's "eGameRevolution" exhibit. The Strong has also run the National Toy Hall of Fame since 2002.