National Toy Hall of Fame 2015

The spinning top, coloring book, Wiffle Ball and puppet are vied for a place in the National Toy Hall of Fame. The simple classics were among 12 finalists for the 2015 class.

This year’s finalists included two toys that date way, way back, the puppet and the top. At the other end of the timeline is the Super Soaker, which put a tank of water on a squirt gun in 1990.

Three toys were inducted on November 5, 2015.

Finalist: American Girl Dolls

Anyone can nominate a toy, but to earn a place in the hall of fame, they must have survived multiple generations, be widely recognized and foster learning, creativity or discovery through play.

The finalists are chosen by historians and curators at The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame. From there, a national panel of judges made up of inventors, educators, psychologists and others choose the winners.

According to The Strong, American Girl dolls were created in 1986 by educator and newscaster Pleasant Rowland. The dolls explore America’s social and cultural history. Each doll comes with a unique narrative that fits her time period.

Finalist: Battleship

Last year, little green Army men, the Rubik’s Cube and bubbles took their place in the hall, joining 53 other old favorites, including Barbie, Easy-Bake Oven, G.I. Joe, the Frisbee and View-Master.

According to The Strong, Battleship was originally a pencil and paper game. Its inspiration came from similar two-person strategy games in the late 19th century. Various manufacturers printed paper versions beginning in the 1930s and Milton Bradley’s 1967 plastic adaptation became a hit.

The game was among the first board games to be computerized in 1979. Today countless electronic versions of Battleship exist.

Finalist: Coloring Book

Coloring books appeared in America as an outgrowth of European educational reforms, but McLoughlin Brothers, a New York printing company, is credited as the coloring book’s inventor, according to The Strong.

Finalist: Jenga

The word jenga is the imperative form of kujenga, the Swahili verb “to build.”

The game debuted in 1983 and--according to game creator Englishwoman Leslie Scott--has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide.

Finalist: PLAYMOBIL

PLAYMOBIL play sets include buildings, vehicles, animals, and other accessories. Kids use PLAYMOBIL figures and sets to populate the stories they create in make-believe play.

According to the Toy Hall of Fame, since their introduction in 1974, PLAYMOBIL play sets have depicted topics familiar to kids such as dollhouses and schools and topics of novelty and fascination such as the Egyptians, Vikings, and pirates.

Finalist: Scooter

Scooters have been around since the turn of the 20th century. They first appeared as a homemade vehicle of two wheels, a wooden deck, and handlebars.

Finalist: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Toys

The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” comic book was originally self-published by two struggling artists to satirize comic book heroes and action figures in the early 1980s, according to The Strong.

However, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles found themselves transformed into comic book and play icons.

Finalist: Wiffle Ball

Since 1953, Wiffle Ball has been played in backyards across America, according to The Strong.

The plastic ball was designed perfectly for play in small backyards surrounded by breakable windows.

Finalist: The Top

Since ancient times, the spinning top has entertained children and adults in cultures worldwide.

Modern kids are still huge fans of the spinning top, some children even participate in contests to see who can execute the longest spin.

Inductee: Twister

Twister did not achieve immediate success when first introduced in 1966, according to The Strong.

But when someone at Milton Bradley forgot to call the public relations firm and cancel the game’s promotion when it was deemed a failure, the games fate changed.

The PR firm pitched the game to television talk show host Johnny Carson who plugged it to his audience. Carson played Twister on the air and his studio audience fell in love with Twister. Afterwards, stores couldn’t stock enough of the game to meet demand.

Inductee: Super Soaker

Lonnie Johnson’s 1990 Super Soaker is credited with changing neighborhood water wars forever.

Water guns have been around since the early 20th Century, according to The Strong.

Inductee: Puppet

Puppets may have been around since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs. Because the toy has been around for thousands of years in every culture around the globe it’s difficult to pinpoint its origins.