ROCHESTER, New York—It’s official! Today, the National Toy Hall of Fame inducted Battleship, Slime, and Trivial Pursuit into the class of 2025. The winners emerged from a field of 12 finalists that also included Catan, Connect Four, cornhole, Furby, scooter, snow, Spirograph, Star Wars lightsaber, and Tickle Me Elmo. The three inducted toys have been enshrined and are on view at The Strong National Museum of Play, home to the National Toy Hall of Fame.
About Battleship: Originally a pencil and paper game, Battleship’s inspiration began with similar two-person strategy games in the late 19th century. Various manufacturers printed paper versions beginning in the 1930s. Television advertising played a part in the success of Milton Bradley’s now iconic 1967 plastic edition. Since its debut almost 50 years ago, Milton Bradley’s Battleship game has sold more than 100 million copies. The game was among the first board games to be computerized in 1979, and today countless electronic versions exist.
Says Curator Mirek Stolee, “Battleship has long been a household name in the board game world. Its popularity crested in 2012 when Universal Pictures and Hasbro released a movie called Battleship. The film was only very loosely based on the game, but it helped cement Battleship’s place in popular culture history.”
About Slime: Slime has leveraged its squishy, squashy, tactile appeal to become a beloved plaything for generations of kids. From its commercial introduction in 1976, slime has gone on to become an element of other playthings and a television star in its own right. Manufacturers produce slime under various brand names and with certain proprietary twists, but slime has also proliferated as a do-it-yourself project. Most importantly, slime encourages play that is messy and experimental.
Says Curator Michelle Parnett-Dwyer, “Though slime continues to carry icky connotations to slugs and swamps—all part of the fun for some—the toy offers meaningful play. Countless kids enjoy creating slime on their own or adding it as an element to play with other toys. For others, it has therapeutic benefits—offering stress relief and enhancing fine motor skills.”
About Trivial Pursuit: Trivial Pursuit’s brain-racking questions have been challenging players for more than 40 years. The game rewards a vast breadth of knowledge, with questions ranging from geography to entertainment, from history to art, and from science to sports. As individuals or in teams, players race to collect pie wedges in six colors by maneuvering around the board and successfully answering trivia questions. Available in various editions on a wide array of topics, Trivial Pursuit is a challenge for trivia enthusiasts of all stripes. By 2023, the game had sold more than 100 million copies.
Says Curator Mirek Stolee, “Trivial Pursuit’s influence has spread beyond the realm of board games to game show iterations and video game adaptations. The game’s maker even offers a Trivial Pursuit online daily quiz, in the vein of other popular daily games like Wordle. Frequent updates and innovations continue to keep Trivial Pursuit relevant.”
About the National Toy Hall of Fame
The National Toy Hall of Fame® at The Strong, established in 1998, recognizes toys that have inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over a sustained period. Each year, the prestigious hall inducts new honorees and showcases both new and historic versions of classic toys beloved by generations. Anyone can nominate a toy to the National Toy Hall of Fame. Final selections are made on the advice of historians, educators, and other individuals who exemplify learning, creativity, and discovery through their lives and careers. Toys are celebrated year-round in a state-of-the-art exhibit at The Strong in Rochester, New York. For more information about the hall and to see the list of previous inductees, visit museumofplay.org/exhibits/toy-hall-of-fame/
About The Strong
The Strong is a highly interactive, collections-based museum devoted to the history and exploration of play. It is one of the largest history museums in the United States and one of the leading museums serving families. The Strong houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play and is home to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the National Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the Woodbury School, and the American Journal of Play. Together, these enable a multifaceted array of research, exhibition, and other interpretive and educational activities that serve a diverse audience of adults, families, children, students, teachers, scholars, collectors, and others around the globe.