The popular tabletop game Battleship began as a pencil-and-paper affair, in the 1930s. Players paired off against each other, hiding their small fleet of ships on a grid and then admitting the contents of each square on the grid at their opponent's behest. Milton Bradley released a plastic edition in 1967, and the game gained highly in popularity. The types of ship changed through the years. Early in the 21st Century, Hasbro settled on the carrier, destroyer, patrol boat, submarine, and (of course) battleship. One well-known TV ad had a dismayed player saying, "You sank my battleship!" The game was one of the first to appear in a computerized version. Since its inception, Battleship has been sold more than 100 million times. It also was the inspiration for a 2012 major motion picture.

The gross yet appealing Slime has captured children's imaginations since its debut from Mattel in 1976. Users could famously pour it out of a plastic trash can and mold it into any number of shapes. Traditionally green, slime has been sold in other colors as well.

The first Trivial Pursuit games appeared in 1981 and quickly captured the imaginations of a generation. The original six categories were Art & Literature, Entertainment, Geography, History, Science & Nature, and Sports & Leisure. Four decades on, sales have exceeded 100 million, with the Genus edition spawning many variants with different subjects, such as Star War and The Lord of the Rings.

Those three emerged from a field of 12 finalists for inclusion into the National Toy Hall of Fame. The other finalists were these:

• Catan
• Connect Four
• cornhole
• Furby
• scooter
• snow
• Spirograph
• Star Wars lightsaber
• Tickle Me Elmo.

Examples of the winners will be displayed in the Hall of Fame, which is part of the Strong National Museum of Play, in Rochester, N.Y.

The National Toy Hall of Fame announces its inductees each year, after the toys are selected by a committee of curators and historians, and has done so since 1998. This year's additions brought the total of inductees to 72. The hall has resided in its current location, the Strong, since 2002.

Criteria for induction include:

• being widely recognized enduring in popularity for many years
• fostering learning and/or creativity through play.

The Toy Hall of Fame first inducted toys in 1998, when the list included Barbie®, LEGO®, the Frisbee®, and marbles.

To nominate a toy, click here.