Animation Monday: 2013 Nominees For The National Toy Hall Of Fame

By Nathan Young on November 4, 2013

UPDATE: Chess and the rubber duck were inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame. Sorry fans of turtles and ponies.

As you know, many cartoon shows on TV are based off toys that are available at your local retailer. If toy sales based off a TV cartoon show don’t do well, that cartoon is cancelled forever. That’s the way things have worked out since the television was invented. Sometimes a TV cartoon can be saved based off of ratings, but most of the time, the toy sales is what matters. This week, the National Toy Hall of Fame will announce two winners out of 12 finalists to join 51 other outstanding toys such as Barbie, Mr. Potato Head, Nintendo Game Boy, the bicycle, Silly Putty, the skateboard, Slinky, and the baby doll.

Nominations and inclusion into the Toy Hall of Fame is based on the following criteria: icon status for being widely respected and recognized; longevity, for being more than a passing fad that has entertained multiple generations; discovery, for its ability to foster learning or creativity; and innovation for having profoundly changed play or toy design. Let’s run down the finalists.

Magic 8 Ball

I am kind of surprised that the Magic 8 Ball is not recognized. How many people have used a Magic 8 Ball in the past to get an answer to their most burning questions. The Magic 8 ball claims to have the answers to all of life’s questions. Maybe it can predict its approval to the hall of fame.

Chess

This game of skill and concentration has been around for years. Many kids and even many schools have played this game in the past. So I am kind of surprised that chess has not been honored yet. Hopefully that will change!

The Rubber Duck

I know everyone should know about the rubber duck. Many kids had a simple rubber duck while they were taking a bath while growing up. This is one of those toys that has a nostalgia factor to it.

Bubbles

Yep, bubbles is one of the nominees. You should know bubbles, you dip a wand into some bubble solution and you use your breath to blow some bubbles. This is also one of those nostalgia toys that many people played with growing up.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

This franchise has been around since the 1980’s, and there have been several comic books, video games, and TV series based off the four beloved turtles including the current series on Nickelodeon. We shall see if the ninja turtles can fight their way into the hall of fame.

My Little Pony

This TV show has been mostly under the radar until the 4th generation series called My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic premiered in 2010 on the Hub Network. Since the premiere, Hasbro is making a lot of money from all the MLP merchandise, would it be ironic to see these toys inducted into the hall of fame before the 4th season premiere?

Clue

This classic board game where you guess who committed the murder with which weapon has been around since 1949. I know many board game fans would love to see the game Clue inducted into the hall of fame. Hasbro would love to see this game inducted!

Fisher Price Little People

Many people should know these toys from growing up. I am sure you probably played with these little people when you were a kid. This is one of those nostalgia toys that anyone would love to see inducted!

Little Green Army Men

What’s more nostalgic than these toys? I am sure most boys have played with these classic toys while they were growing up. Kind of surprised these toys have not been inducted into the hall of fame yet.

NERF Toys

I know many kids probably used NERF toys to attack their fellow kids or play sports with their fellow kids. These toys have always fostered fun and exercise in kids. Could these toys shoot their way into the hall of fame?

Pac-Man

This classic video game franchise is known by many people as one of the first video games people could play in the video game arcade. Today, you can still enjoy a great game of Pac-Man on your computer! And yes, I know of many people who still plays Pac-Man.

The Scooter

Many older kids probably used a scooter to get around the neighborhood while they were growing up. Hey, if the bicycle is already in the Toy Hall of Fame, the scooter can easily be next to be inducted!

The winners will be announced on Thursday November 7th where two of these 12 toys above will be inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. On a poll on their website, the top two selected by fans are My Little Pony and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Both of those toys would be awesome to see inducted, geeks and nerds would celebrate!

Learn more about the Toy Hall of Fame at: http://www.toyhalloffame.org/