See which four toys The Strong has inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Four toys, including the age-old classic baseball cards and the cutting-edge dart blaster Nerf, have reached toybox royalty.
After votes from toy experts and the public, the Strong National Museum of Play on Friday has inducted four beloved toys into its National Toy Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees are Fisher Price Corn-Popper, Cabbage Patch Kids, baseball cards, and Nerf.
Corn-Popper, a plastic dome filled with jumping balls, was inducted as part of the “forgotten five”, toys that frequently reach the finals but have never been selected. It’s the first time that The Strong has inducted a toy based only on votes from the public.
The other three toys were selected from a list of 12 finalists announced in September. A 23-member committee of experts in the study of play chose the toys that they believe have made the greatest impact. In addition, the public weighed in through voting on the museum’s website, acting as one member of that committee.
The Strong says the hall of fame recognizes toys that have inspired multiple generations, reached an icon status, and have brought innovation to play.
For baseball cards, they’ve allowed kids and adults alike to collect photos of their favorite players and trade them with friends. Cabbage Patch Kids, which launched in 1979, offered children a soft, cuddly playmate in a world of hard toys and cold electronics. Nerf started in the 1960s with a foam ball harmless enough to throw indoors and has since evolved into a variety of blasters for battles with soft darts. Inventor Arthur Holt sold his Corn-Popper design to Fisher-Price in 1957, which turned it into a dome that makes “poppity-pop” sounds, offering hours of fun.
This year is the 25th anniversary of the hall of fame and comes after The Strong unveiled its 90,000-square-foot expansion in June, complete with new interactive exhibits and a new home for the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
One of the runner-ups in the hall of fame, Bop It, was designed by a man who grew up in Greece. News10NBC spoke with toy designer Bob Welch.
More than 80 toys have earned their spot in the hall of fame. Last year’s three inductees were the spinning top, Lite-Brite, and the action figures Masters of the Universe. Here’s a list of this year’s runner-ups in the finals
- Battleship
- Bingo
- Bop It
- Choose Your Own Adventure Gamebooks
- Connect 4
- Ken
- Little Tykes Cozy Coupe
- Slime
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The rest of the “forgotten five” that the public voted on were My Little Pony, PEZ dispensers, the Pogo Stick, and Transformers.