The National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum inducted some longtime favorites during a ceremony Thursday.
The class of 2019 includes the collectible card game Magic the Gathering, Matchbox cars, and the coloring book.
Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections for the Strong, said the newest honorees were chosen from a group of finalists that included My Little Pony, Jenga, Nerf Blaster, Masters of the Universe, Care Bears, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, the top, the game Risk, and the smartphone.
“Through the National Toy Hall of Fame, the Strong recognizes outstanding toys that have engaged multiple generations over time, inspiring them to learn, create and discover through play," he said.
Bensch said the finalists are chosen by a national selection advisory committee.
“Those are experts in child development, toy history and so forth,” he said. “That gets added in with a public vote that represents one of the members of that committee, and then the two or three top vote-getters are the ones that get inducted each year."
There are now 71 toys in the National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum in Rochester, which is the only collections-based museum anywhere devoted solely to studying play.
Bill Rose is head of tabletop gaming for Magic the Gathering:
Head of Matchbox, Jason Horowitz, says inventor Jack O'Dell developed a miniature car for his daughter to take to school for show and tell, and it met the requirement of being small enough "to fit in a matchbox."
Copyright 2019 WXXI News
