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Museum will be closed Friday, October 25 for the Play Ball gala.

Press Release

National Toy Hall of Fame Nominations Due by July 31

Published July 1, 2021

Thursday, July 1, 2021
For Immediate Release

Shane Rhinewald, 585-410-6365, srhinewald@museumofplay.org

ROCHESTER, New York—Do you have a favorite toy that deserves to join the likes of Tonka Trucks, Monopoly, Slinky, Rubik’s Cube, and other classic playthings enshrined in The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame? The deadline for nominations is soon approaching and toy lovers everywhere are urged to voice their choices for induction this coming November. To nominate a favorite classic toy, visit toyhalloffame.org/nominate or mail your selection to: The Strong, One Manhattan Square, Rochester, NY 14607. Submissions for nominations must be received by Saturday, July 31, 2021. 

The National Toy Hall of Fame recognizes toys that have engaged and delighted multiple generations, inspiring them to learn, create, and discover through play. The hall, which began in 1998, is celebrating its 20th year. Criteria for induction include: Icon-status (the toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered); Longevity (the toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations); Discovery (the toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play); and Innovation (the toy profoundly changed play or toy design). A toy may be inducted on the basis of innovation without necessarily having met all of the first three.

To date, the following 74 toys have made it into the National Toy Hall of Fame: alphabet blocks, Atari 2600 Game System, baby doll, Baby Nancy, ball, Barbie, bicycle, Big Wheel, blanket, bubbles, 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 Little People, Frisbee, The Game of Life, G.I. Joe, Hot Wheels, hula hoop, jack-in-the-box, jacks, Jenga, jigsaw puzzle, jump rope, kite, LEGO, Lincoln Logs, Lionel Trains, little green army men, Magic 8 Ball, marbles, Magic: The Gathering, Matchbox Cars, Monopoly, Mr. Potato Head, Nintendo Game Boy, paper airplane, pinball, Play-Doh, Playing Cards, puppet, Radio Flyer Wagon, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy, rocking horse, roller skates, rubber duck, Rubik’s Cube, Scrabble, sidewalk chalk, Silly Putty, skateboard, Slinky, Star Wars Action Figures, Stick, Super Soaker, swing, Teddy Bear, Tinkertoy, Tonka Trucks, Twister, Uno, View-Master, and Wiffle Ball.

Anyone can nominate a toy for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame. An internal museum advisory committee comprised of curators, educators, and historians reviews the submitted nominations and determines which toys meet the criteria for selection. A national selection advisory committee then reviews the list of toys that meet the criteria.

For more information on the National Toy Hall of Fame, visit toyhalloffame.org

About The Strong
The Strong is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted solely to the history and exploration of play. It 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 and houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play.