You Can Help Decide the Next Inductees Into the National Toy Hall of Fame

Every November, the Strong Museum of Play reveals its official inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame, and every November there's no shortage of controversy over the decision. Everyone has a different opinion on which childhood toys were their favorite, so for 2023, everyone gets a say.

Voting is now open on The Strong National Museum of Play's website, and from this year's 12 finalists, the three with the most public votes will be put on a player's choice ballot. That ballot will join ballots from the Museum's own judges—made up of industry experts—who will each select the three finalists they think should be inducted. The three finalists with the most votes across all ballots will then enter into the National Toy Hall of Fame, with the results being revealed on November 9.

This year's finalists include everything from board games, to electronic toys, to action figures, to gelatinous blobs. Some are surprises that you might think had already been inducted, while others are more out there. Here's our breakdown of all the finalists, in no particular order:

Battleship

Monopoly was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame when the honor first debuted in 1998, with Scrabble getting a slot several years later in 2004. Could 2023 finally be Battleship's year? Although it existed as a pen and paper game for decades, Battleship's popularity exploded with Milton Bradley's (now owned by Hasbro) version, featuring tiny plastic battleships and a travel-friendly design. As board game catch phrases go, "you sunk my battleship!" is an iconic lament.

Connect Four

Joining Battleship as one of this year's National Toy Hall of Fame nominees is Milton Bradley's (now owned by Hasbro) Connect Four, which first debuted in 1974 after wisely ditching the name The Captain's Mistress. Played like a super-sized version of Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four is best known for the satisfying dump of playing pieces at the end of each game. But unbeknownst to most players is that mathematicians have come up with a strategy guaranteeing a win for the player who goes first.

Ken

Barbie was one of the first inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame when it launched in 1998, but now Ken could be joining her as one of the 2023 inductees. Originally introduced by Mattel two years after Barbie in 1961, Ken (whose full name is Kenneth Sean Carson) has enjoyed over 40 different occupations, and has stepped out into the world wearing thousands of different fashionable outfits. Originally Barbie's boyfriend, Ken is now simply one of her many male friends.

Cabbage Patch Kids

The Cabbage Patch Kids were originally created by artist Xavier Roberts in 1979. When Coleco bought the worldwide licensing rights to the dolls in 1982 and renamed them, their popularity exploded. In the early '80s, parents would storm stores ahead of the holidays desperately trying to find Cabbage Patch Kids in stock. In 1984, the dolls and their accessories generated a staggering $2 billion in retail sales, and the Cabbage Patch Kids remain one of the longest selling doll lines in history.

Baseball Cards

Unless jammed into the spokes of a bicycle wheel to make a fun noise, it's hard to classify Baseball Cards as a toy. But as a highly sought after collectible that kids have purchased by the hundreds of millions? That's impossible to argue. Dating as far back as 1860, baseball cards are the ultimate collectible, and have brought joy both to those who've sold them for millions of dollars, or who just keep them hidden away in a binder.

Nerf

Now best known as an expansive line of dart-flinging blasters, Nerf first debuted back in 1970 as a simple ball made of soft lightweight foam. Parker Brothers, now owned by Hasbro, marketed it as the "world's first indoor ball" because it could be played with indoors without the risk of it toppling lamps, breaking windows, or hurting old people.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Originally created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984 as a satirical comic book, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles exploded in popularity with the arrival of an animated series in 1987. Shortly after, kids could badger their parents to buy to a veritable mountain of TMNT action figures, vehicles and playsets created by Playmates Toys to coincide with the show. Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the franchise, which continues to churn out new movies, TV shows and toys.

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe

Before many Americans took to the streets on bicycles, or cruised the sidewalks on tricycles, they first drove around their parents' backyards in the iconic red and yellow Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. When it debuted in 1979 with a clever tip-proof design, the Cozy Coupe was one of the first molded plastic toys sold in the US, and on many occasions it became the best selling car of the year in the country, beating out the likes of the Ford Taurus and the Honda Accord.

Choose Your Own Adventure Gamebooks

The hysteria around Dungeons & Dragons in the late '70s and early '80s prevented many kids from exploring the classic role-playing game, but there was another way to get into RPGs that didn't require dice or a tabletop layout: Choose Your Own Adventure books. Each one paired fantastic cover art with a branching story that allowed readers to choose how the story played out. More often than not, a poor choice led to the frustration of the protagonist dying several pages later, but that didn't stop Bantam Books (now owned by Random House) from selling over 250 million copies in the '80s.

Slime

Now best associated with Nickelodeon game shows, slime has been a popular kid accessory for 47 years, and for one simple reason: kids love gross things. Now available in endless colors and textures, slime has even had a resurgence in recent years as part of do-it-yourself kits that teach kids about the science of chemistry.

Bop It

One of the youngest nominees for the 2023 National Toy Hall of Fame is Bop It, which first debuted back in 1996. Although deceptively simple, with gameplay that has players following voice commands telling them to push a button, pull a handle, or twist a lever, Bop It quickly becomes extremely challenging as the voice commands arrive faster and faster. Many iterations of Bop It have been released over the past 27 years, including those featuring characters like R2-D2, but the challenging gameplay has always remained the same.

Bingo

One of the few games truly played by young and old alike, Bingo traces its roots back to a lottery game played in Italy around 1530. The modern version is a copy of a 1920s carnival game called Beano, which, after some strategic letter swapping, became Bingo, one of the country's most important fundraising tools and senior citizen distractions.