Friday, November 7, 2008

Who's the lucky toy this year? A stick?!?!?!?

Each year the Strong National Museum of Play decides on which toy or toys gets to be the lucky inductee to the Toy Hall of Fame. This years choice might surprise some people. Two of this years choices, the baby doll and the skateboard, sound like what you might expect. But the other one may cause a few people to do a double take. A stick.

What!?!? That was indeed my first reaction. I mean I can think of plenty of toys that I have had throughout my life, but if someone had asked me what my choice would be for an entry into the Toy Hall of Fame....I don't think a stick would have been near the top of the list. Come to think of it I don't think it would have made it on my list at all

But if you think about it for a while, and remember waaaaaaaaaaaay back to those golden days of yesteryear, (for some of us that may be a long way back). There probably isn't a more versatile item that I can think of than a stick.

Really now just think, in all the times in your childhood, how many times have you had a stick in your hand? A stick can be almost anything in the hands of a child. A light saber, (if you're in the Star Wars generation), a sword, it can be used for arms on a snowman, add a rubber band and a stick with a Y shape and you've got a slingshot. The list goes on and on.

In the hands of a child a stick can be just about anything. And you can't beat the cost! ; ) So this year, along with the Baby Doll and skateboard, the lowly stick joins the ranks of the famous in the Toy Hall of Fame.

The Toy Hall of Fame is located in Rochester New York. It was originally located in A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon, but was moved to the NY location when it outgrew it's home in Oregon. The main criteria for selection into the Hall of Fame are, icon status, longevity, and innovation.

For more information on the Toy Hall of Fame you can follow the links below. Hey that reminds me....I better start thinking about Christmas sh0pping...Yikes!

Strong National Museum of Play

AP story

Rochester City Newspaper

Syracuse.com

Wikipedia

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