Since 1998, the National Toy Hall of Fame has been celebrating iconic toys and games that are credited for inspiring creative play and enjoying sustained popularity. There are 78 games and toys already enshrined in the hall of fame, with more set to join this year following the announcement of 2022 finalists.
The National Toy Hall of Fame, which is housed in Rochester’s The Strong museum in New York, recently revealed that 12 games made it on the list of finalists: bingo, the top, Breyer Horses, Catan, Lite-Brite, Nerf Toys, Masters of the Universe, piñata, Phase 10, Pound Puppies, Rack-O, and Spirograph. The voting is underway on toyhalloffame.org and will conclude on September 21st.
According to the announcement, the top three toys and games in public voting will enter the contention under the “Player’s Choice” ballot. This ballot will be up there with the votes of the expert committee.
“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,” said Christopher Bensch, The Strong’s vice president of collections.
The inductees in the 2022 class will be revealed on November 10th. If the past years are any indicator, we can expect three games to make the cut. American Girl dolls, Risk, and sand were enshrined in 2021.
