The Strong Museum of Play has announced the finalists who will duke it out for spots in the National Toy Hall of Fame. The winners will be announced on November 10!
This one has been a classic for over 40 years. It's a classic two-player fighting game, featuring Red Rocker and Blue Bomber. People love these little guys, and they've continued to be manufactured by major brands over the years. Use your thumbs to operate your fighter and sock the other robot's head off!
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkWho doesn't know the Care Bear countdown? Although they started with plush toys, the friendly, multi-coloured bears are best-known for their TV series in the 80's. The company celebrated 30 years of caring in 2012.
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkCelebrating 40 years of adventure, it's no wonder Dungeons & Dragons made the finalists list (and a starring role in last summer's TV hit Stranger Things!) This role-playing game was the first to turn the players themselves into characters in a fantasy world. To this day, D&D continues to influence modern-day games and video games.
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkIt was Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick! The object of this famous murder-mystery game is to find out who murdered the victim, what weapon they used and where it was using a number of clues. Three to six players can play, and many versions have been created over the years, including Clue Jr. for kids.
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkThere's more than meets the eye with this simple-looking toy robot. Produced by Hasbro and Takara Tomy, Transformers is a huge franchise starring alien robots that began in 1984 with a toy line and expanded into a TV series and multiple video games, comic books and movies.
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkThis toy brand was created for small children in the 1960s as the "Play Family People" (above), later to be renamed by Fisher Price as "Little People". Products today include playsets featuring adult and children figures, animals, vehicles and even Disney characters. A new TV series started this year, featuring five main characters: Eddie, Tessa, Koby, Mia and Sofie.
Since creating the first indoor foam ball in the early 1970's, Hasbro has grown this successful brand into a universe of foam-based toys. The brand has since branched off into many categories of Nerf toys and products including Nerf Sports, Rebelle, and Rival, N-Strike Modulus, Mega, Elite, Super Soakers, Zombie Strike and Doomlands.
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkThough this may seem like an unconventional finalist choice, it's right up there with some of the other hall-of-famers, including a cardboard box, bubbles, and even a stick. Kids have been playing with this packing material for decades, and who can blame them? Whether you try rolling around on it, jumping or twisting it, popping all the bubbles is the best feeling in the world.
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkThis list wouldn't make sense without a pinball machine because it's the arcade game of all arcade games. The objective is to launch a steel ball around the slanted "playing field" of obstacles to gain points by hitting targets. Using the two 'flippers' at the bottom, the goal is to keep the ball from falling down the drain, which would cause you to start over.
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkA staple of playgrounds for decades, the swing is a definite winner in our books. Most childhood memories are created at the park, and everyone races for the swings first!
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkTwo or more players can play this card game that's been around for over 40 years. The main objective is to be the first player to score 500 points, but the action cards, like 'Skip' or 'Reverse', make this game more interesting than your average card game.
Photo: Courtesy of The Strong®, Rochester, New YorkAh, a good ol' colouring book - what better pasttime is there? From kids to adults, anyone can enjoy the peaceful activity of colouring, which is now more popular than ever. Etch A Sketch and Crayola Crayons have already made the Hall of Fame, making the colouring book a probable shoe-in.
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