Here are 6 more Toy Hall of Fame nominees:

Today’s column explores six more toys, games and playthings that have a chance to join the National Toy Hall of Fame in November.

Tickle Me Elmo is a furry, plush doll based on the bright red Muppet character Elmo from the “Sesame Street” children’s television show. He shakes, giggles and vibrates when squeezed.

Tickle Me Elmo was introduced in 1996 by Tyco Toys of Woodbury Heights, N.J.

 

“Putting electronics into a plush-type toy had been done before but Tickle Me Elmo took it to the next level and allowed the toy to emulate the experience of being tickled,” reported Chris Bensch of the National Toy Hall of Fame, which is contained within the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y.

“When Elmo was tickled, he laughed, then he laughed some more and shook with glee. Tickle Me Elmo relates to basic play elements – anticipation, surprise and pleasure,” Bensch said.

Furby is also a candidate for induction into the hall of fame. Described as a fuzzy creature with piglet ears, a bird beak and drowsy, blinking eyes, Furby debuted in 1998.

The toy “encourages interactive, imaginative play, and demonstrates the capabilities of sophisticated technology,” Bensch said.

 

The electronic robotic toy was produced by Tiger Electronics, a subsidiary of Hasbro. Created and engineered by Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung, Furby starts out speaking entirely “Furbish” – the unique language that all Furbies speak – but is programmed to start speaking English words and phrases in place of Furbish over time. This process is intended to resemble the process of learning English.

New generations have been introduced over time, adding more complex facial movements and language enhancements. Today’s Furbies have large eyes that blink and move, ears that wiggle and a range of over 600 reactions, including jokes, songs and phrases.

Another contender for the hall of fame is the scooter, which began providing kids with easy, low-tech transportation in the early 1900s, first appearing as a vehicle of two small wheels, a wooden deck or standing platform and handlebars for steering.

 

“Modern scooters made of lightweight materials and innovative technology, such as Razor Scooters, have transformed the mild-mannered, two-wheeler into a vehicle of speed, dexterity and durability suited for a variety of sporting events and competitions,” Bensch commented.

Also in the running to enter the hall of fame is the Star Wars Lightsaber.

“When 20th Century Fox released the first ‘Star Wars’ movie in 1977, no one imagined it would change the toy industry and popular entertainment so dramatically,” Bensch reported.

Kenner Products of Cincinnati, Ohio, released an official Star Wars Lightsaber toy in 1978.

 

“The arsenal of toy lightsabers that followed – with lights and sounds – demonstrates the influence of popular culture on play, our fascination with mystical weapons, and the possibilities of technology,” Bensch said.

Some notable contributors include Jim Swearingen, who was principal conceptual designer for Kenner’s initial Star Wars toy line in the 1970s, and Yair Shilo, a toy inventor who developed the concept for a self-retracting, telescoping blade.

As the creator of “Star Wars,” filmmaker George Lucas conceptualized the lightsaber as a “laser sword” for his “Jedi samurai in space” idea. The original movie prop lightsaber was created by set decorator Roger Christian, who won an Academy Award for his work on the original “Star Wars.”

Spirograph is yet another contender that is knocking on the door of the hall of fame.

Packaged as a set of gears, rings, triangles and straight bars, Spirograph can be used to create intricately patterned geometric drawings. It has entertained and educated kids for 60 years.

 

The toy version was developed by engineer Denys Fisher of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and first sold in 1965. Distribution rights in the United States were acquired by Kenner, and Spirograph was introduced in the U.S. market in 1966 for “ages 5 and up.”

 

Spirograph was marketed as a creative toy for drawing “a million marvelous patterns.”

Completing the field of hall of fame finalists is cornhole, a game that has become enormously popular in America.

 

Competing one-on-one or in teams, players attempt to throw bean bags at a slanted wooden board with a hole in it. They score one point for landing a bag on the board and three points for throwing a bag through the hole. The game is played with many house rules and regional variants. 

Cornhole boards and bean bags are common sights in the backyard or the bar patio…and wherever tailgating occurs.

According to Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company of Richmond, Va., cornhole was invented in Germany in 1325 by a Bavarian woodworker named Matthias Kuepermann for the enjoyment of villagers and their children.

Or, perhaps the game was born in America, on the farm of Jebediah McGillicuddy in rural Kentucky for the amusement of family and friends.

There is some agreement, however, that football fans of the Cincinnati Bengals introduced cornhole to the world of tailgating.

 

The National Toy Hall of Fame judges will consider the following criteria:

Icon status: Is the toy widely recognized, respected and remembered?

Longevity: Is the toy more than a passing fad? Has it enjoyed popularity over multiple generations?

Discovery: Does the toy foster learning, creativity or discovery through play?

Innovation: Has the toy profoundly changed play or toy design.

The National Toy Hall of Fame was established in 1998, and to date, 87 toys have been inducted.

The charter members are indicated in boldface type:

Alphabet blocks, American Girl Doll, Atari 2600 Game System, baby doll, Baby Nancy, ball, Barbie, baseball cards, bicycle, Big Wheel, blanket, bubbles, Cabbage Patch Kids, Candy Land, cardboard box, checkers, chess, Clue, coloring book, Crayola Crayons, dollhouse, dominoes, Duncan Yo-Yo, Dungeons & Dragons, Easy-Bake Oven.

Erector Set, Etch A Sketch, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Fisher-Price Little People, Frisbee, G.I. Joe, The Game of Life, Hot Wheels, Hula Hoop, jack-in-the-box, jacks, Jenga, jigsaw puzzle, jump rope, kite, LEGO, Lincoln Logs, Lionel Trains, Lite-Brite, little green army men, Magic 8 Ball, Magic: The Gathering, marbles, Masters of the Universe,

 

Matchbox Cars, Monopoly, Mr. Potato Head, My Little Pony, Nerf, Nintendo Game Boy, paper airplane, Phase 10, pinball, Play-Doh, playing cards, puppet, Radio Flyer Wagon, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Risk, rocking horse, roller skates, rubber duck, Rubik’s Cube, sand, Scrabble, sidewalk chalk, Silly Putty, skateboard, Slinky.

Star Wars action figures, stick, Super Soaker, swing, teddy bear, Tinkertoy, Tonka Trucks, top, Transformers, Twister, Uno, View-Master, Wiffle Ball.