Care Bears, Pokémon trading cards, the slide, and the game of bingo. That’s the Class of 2026 entering the National Toy Hall of Fame, which is housed within the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester. The inductees were announced Thursday morning.
This year’s class will join a long list of classic toys, games, and pieces of playground equipment inducted in previous years, from Raggedy Ann to Monopoly to Star Wars action figures to Barbie dolls.
“I love hearing those conversations from folks saying, ‘Oh, I played with that. I had one of those. I remember this,’” said Shane Rhinewald, director of communications for the Strong Museum. “We also get a lot of people that say, ‘gosh, my parents never bought me that.’ You know, that gaming system, that toy. ‘The kid down the street had it,’ and they're still mad about it all these years later. It just goes to show what impact these toys have on our formative years as kids.”
There were 12 finalists from which the winners were chosen. Rhinewald explained criteria considered include whether the toy was truly an icon and whether it had longevity. He said it was not an easy task picking winners from this year’s field of finalists.
“We have an independent national selection advisory committee. This is made up of scholars, people that might work in the play space, the child psychology or education space, and they come back and rank their votes. And this year was tough. Usually we induct three toys, but we had to go with four because they had so many favorites at the top,” Rhinewald said.
Sorry, Tickle Me Elmo, but better luck next year. That toy, when released in 1996, would months later become the focus of an intense – and occasionally violent - holiday shopping season frenzy. But this year, it was one of the finalists that didn’t make the cut. Also passed over for induction were Bop It!, Mahjong, Monster High, Polly Pocket, and the games Mouse Trap, Sorry!, and Yahtzee.
The National Toy Hall of Fame, and the larger Museum of Play, attract visitors from multiple generations, all of whom find something nostalgic among the displays. Sometimes, it draws some poignant tears.
“I had somebody through a tour a couple years ago that saw - not in the Toy Hall, but in one of the other exhibits - a My Buddy doll, and he went up to it and essentially he was crying,” Rhinewald said. “He said, ‘this reminds me of my stepbrother, and we grew up, and I haven't seen him in all of these years.’ It was one of those moments where it makes you really kind of think about the impact that these toys have had.”
The museum’s mission is more than generating nostalgia and sentimental feelings. Rhinewald points out the museum has an academic foundation that studies why play is important for children.
“What does it help them do? How does it help them develop? How is it good for their social, emotional, cognitive development?” he said. “But we also look at why adults need to play. And one of our messages is that adults should play more. It helps relax us. It helps us relieve stress. So, those family or adult game nights are hugely important, or whatever hobby it is that somebody might consider play.”
