Which toys will enter the ‘hall of fame’ this year?

Nov. 4 is the “big reveal” – the announcement of the 2021 inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Usually, three or four playthings are selected each year. 

Suspense looms large over The Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y., which is the home of the hall of fame. Since 1998, 74 toys and games have been enshrined.

 The honorees run the gamut from generic items like cardboard boxes, sticks, blankets, paper airplanes and sidewalk chalk to traditional toys like puppets, rubber ducks, balls, rocking horses and jacks.

 There are dolls galore in the hall of fame – including Barbie and Ken and Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy – as well as sophisticated electronics from the modern era. 

The criteria for a toy/game to be nominated is pretty specific. First, it must be “iconic,” which is defined as “widely recognized, respected and remembered.” 

Second, it must have “longevity,” enjoying “popularity over multiple generations.” Third, it must encourage “discovery” through play – fostering “learning and creativity.” 

The fourth requirement is “innovation,” which can trump the other three. Has the toy/game “profoundly changed play or toy design?” 

This year, 12 toys and games are currently under consideration as “finalists.” 

I’ve got four “dogs in the hunt,” so to speak. They are favorite toys/games that impacted playtime for our two boys growing up.

1: Fisher-Price Corn Popper. This toy came out in 1957 as “an amusement device” for toddlers. “The bright, flying balls and popping sound helped stimulate the senses, promoting curiosity and discovery,” according to The Strong Museum curator.

2: Sand. “Children recognize sand as a creative material suitable for pouring, scooping, sieving, raking and measuring,” the curator said. “Wet sand is even better, ready for kids to construct, shape and sculpt.” 

Indeed, you don’t need an ocean. Sand in the horseshoe pits next to the tennis courts at a recreation facility in Clarksville, Ga., proved to be an ideal playground for miniature earthmoving equipment to motor around and for toy soldiers to engage in military maneuvers.

3: Toy Fire Engine. “A child might use a toy fire engine to explore role playing by assuming the position of a firefighter, a community hero,” noted the curator. 

Richard Scarry’s classic children’s book, “Cars and Trucks and Things That Go,” put the “fire frucks” on pages 40-41, and the challenge was always to “find Goldbug.”

4. Cabbage Patch Kids. “The soft, cuddly playmates” were simply adorable, the curator said. 

“Consumers could not get enough of the dolls, each with his or her own name, a unique, lumpy rounded face and adoption papers. Their outfits were representative of different occupations or sports. They became the must-have holiday toy of 1983 and generated massive demand.” 

Flo was a Cabbage Patch Kid who sported a tennis warmup suit with matching headband. (The doll baby became the good luck mascot of a women’s tennis team that played in Clarksville on the courts next to the horseshoe pits.) 

All the Cabbage Patch Kids were birthed at BabyLand General Hospital in Cleveland, Ga., about 35 miles south of Clay County in western North Carolina. The facility continues as a popular tourism destination.   

There are eight other playthings in the running to be added to the 2021 hall of fame. Four are board games – Battleship, Mahjong, Risk and The Settlers of Catan. 

Other finalists are the piñata, American Girl dolls, Masters of the Universe action figures and billiards.