This year's additions to the National Toy Hall of Fame are the blanket, the dollhouse, and Hot Wheels.
The hall, in Rochester, N.Y., has an annual celebration of toys and has named a handful as Hall of Famers every year since 1998. The hall has resided in its current location, the Strong, since 2002.
Inductees range from the simple — the stick and the teddy bear — to the complex — the bicycle and Mr. Potato Head.
Criteria for induction include:
being widely recognized,
enduring in popularity for many years
fostering learning and/or creativity through play.
The dollhouse and Hot Wheels are certainly classic examples of toys. The blanket is less so, but Hall of Fame curators noted several examples of the blanket's being used in play, such as a superhero cape or a peek-a-boo veil.
A total of 48 toys are now in the hall, including such ancient favorites as chess and the pogo stick and relatively newer favorites like the Nintendo Game Boy®.
The Toy Hall of Fame first inducted toys in 1998, when the list included Barbie®, LEGO®, the Frisbee®, and marbles.
Here is a list of the toys inducted into the Hall of Fame:
Inductees range from the simple — the stick and the teddy bear — to the complex — the bicycle and Mr. Potato Head.
