Will He-Man and the Masters of the Universe finally emerge from the jaws of Castle Grayskull to be welcomed into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year?
The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, revealed this year’s finalists for induction into the Hall. A dozen classic toys are vying for position this year, including bingo, Breyer Horses, Catan, Lite-Brite, NERF, Masters of the Universe, piñata, Phase 10, Pound Puppies, Rack-O, Spirograph, and the spinning top.
“These 12 toys span the history of play. The top is as old as civilization itself and bingo has been played in some form for hundreds of years,” says Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections. “Masters of the Universe and Pound Puppies became classics in the 1980s, but they too have greatly influenced the world of play. All 12 of these toys have what it takes to be contenders for the class of 2022.”
This year’s group of finalists includes some repeat nominees, including Catan and Masters of the Universe, which has been nominated for the past five years.
Public voting is open through Sept. 21 as part of a “Player’s Choice” ballot at toyhalloffame.org. The three toys that receive the most public votes will be submitted and will join the other top-three submissions by members of the National Selection Advisory Committee. This year’s inductees will be revealed on Nov. 10.
To date, the following 77 toys have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame: alphabet blocks, American Girl Doll, 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, 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, little green army men, Magic 8 Ball, Magic: The Gathering, marbles, Matchbox Cars, Monopoly, Mr. Potato Head, Nintendo Game Boy, paper airplane, 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, Twister, Uno, View-Master, and Wiffle Ball.
