TOYS: It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for, when the question will be answered as to which toys will make it into the National Toy Hall of Fame this November.
“Can Risk conquer the competition or will Battleship fight its way to victory? Can billiards hit the corner pocket? Will The Settlers of Catan outlast the rest?”
The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, N.Y., announced the 12 finalists for induction into the hall: American Girl Dolls, Battleship, billiards, Cabbage Patch Kids, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Mahjong, Masters of the Universe, piñata, Risk, sand, The Settlers of Catan, and toy fire engine.
“These 12 toys represent the wide scope of playthings — from one of the most universal playthings in the world like sand to a game-changing board game like Risk to the popular adult game of billiards,” says Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections.
The National Toy Hall of Fame receives thousands of nominations annually, and this year, fans may vote for their favorite finalists until Sept. 22 as part of a “Player’s Choice” ballot at toyhalloffame.org. The three toys that receive the most public votes will be submitted and will join the other top-three submissions by members of the National Selection Advisory Committee. The final 2021 toy inductees will be announced by The Strong museum on Nov. 4.
Toys already in the Hall of Fame include alphabet blocks, Atari 2600 Game System, baby doll, ball, Barbie, bicycle, Big Wheel, bubbles, Candy Land, Easy-Bake Oven, Etch A Sketch, Fisher-Price Little People, Frisbee, G.I. Joe, Hot Wheels, Hula Hoop, LEGO, little green army men, Magic 8 Ball, marbles, Monopoly, Mr. Potato Head and many more.
pinball, Play-Doh, puppet, Radio Flyer Wagon, Raggedy Ann and Andy, rocking horse, roller skates, rubber duck, Rubik’s Cube, sidewalk chalk, Silly Putty, skateboard, Slinky, stick, swing, teddy bear, Tonka Trucks, Twister, Uno, View-Master, and Wiffle Ball.
