Chess, rubber duck inducted into Toy Hall of Fame

ROCHESTER, N.Y. The rubber duck has squeaked out a win for a place in the National Toy Hall of Fame.

The bath toy joins the ancient game of chess in the class of 2013 inducted Thursday.

The pair beat out 10 other finalists for a spot in the 15-year-old hall. The finalists that didn't make the cut include bubbles, the board game Clue, the arcade game Pac-Man and little green Army men.

Chess is one of the world's oldest games, tracing its history to an ancient Indian war game.

Hall officials say no one knows exactly who hatched the rubber duck, though squeak toys have been around since the 1800s.

The National Toy Hall of Fame is located inside The Strong Museum in Rochester.

Last year, "Star Wars" action figures and dominoes were inducted into the hall.

Officials at the Toy Hall of Fame say anyone can nominate a toy and thousands of suggestions come in every year. An internal committee of curators, educators and historians chooses the finalists and then a national selection committee votes for the winners.

Longevity is a key criterion for getting into the hall. Each toy must be widely recognized, foster learning, creativity or discovery through play, and endure in popularity over generations.

The inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame:

2013: Rubber duck, Chess

2012: Dominoes, Star Wars action figures

2011: Blanket, Dollhouse, Hot Wheels

2010: Playing cards, The Game of Life

2009: Ball, Big Wheel, Nintendo Game Boy

2008: Baby doll, Skateboard, Stick

2007: Atari 2600 game system, Kite, Raggedy Andy

2006: Easy-Bake Oven, Lionel trains

2005: Candy Land, Cardboard box, Jack-in-the-box

2004: G.I. Joe, Rocking horse, Scrabble

2003: Alphabet blocks, Checkers

2002: Jigsaw puzzle, Raggedy Ann

2001: Silly Putty, Tonka trucks

2000: Bicycle, Jacks, Jump rope, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky

1999: Duncan yo-yo, Hula Hoop, Lincoln Logs, Radio Flyer wagon, Roller skates, View-Master

1998: Barbie, Crayola crayons, Erector set, Etch A Sketch, Frisbee, LEGO, Marbles, Monopoly, Play-Doh, Teddy bear, Tinkertoy

Source: The National Toy Hall of Fame