Yesterday, the National Toy Hall of Fame announced this year's 12 toy finalists! They are: Baby Nacy, bingo, Breyer Horses, Jenga, Lite-Brite, Masters of the Universe, My Little Pony, Risk, sidewalk chalk, Sorry!, Tamagotchi and Yahtzee!
According to the press release:
"These 12 toys represent the wide scope of playthings—from simple sidewalk chalk that has its roots in ancient times, to Baby Nancy, which proved a turning point in the representation of race in dolls, to the more-recent, highly innovative Tamagotchi,” says Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections. “Whether old or new, or simple of high-tech, all 12 of these toy finalists greatly influenced the world of play.”
The National Toy Hall of Fame receives thousands of nominations annually, and this year, fans may vote for their favorite finalists from September 9 to 16 as part of a “Player’s Choice” ballot at toyhalloffame.org. The three toys that receive the most public votes will be submitted and will join the other top-three submissions by members of the National Selection Advisory Committee. (The public will collectively act as one member of the 23-member committee.) The final 2020 toy inductees, chosen based on the ballots, will be announced by The Strong museum on Thursday, November 5, at 10:30 a.m.