Toy Hall of Fame inducts chess, rubber duck; snubs Army men, 8-Ball

Rubber ducky, you’re the one! Well, one of two: The rubber duck and the game of chess were inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday, bringing the number of toys enshrined there to 53.

The museum, in Rochester, N.Y., has been inducting toys since 1998, when it welcomed an inaugural class of 11 classics, made up of Barbie, Crayola crayons, the Erector Set, the Etch-A-Sketch, the Frisbee, LEGOs, marbles, Monopoly, Play-Doh, the teddy bear and Tinkertoys.

Toys have been added each year since then, in groups ranging from two to six items.

But any time there are winners, there must be losers -- though it would be hard for anyone who’s had a childhood or a heart to call any of this year’s finalists “losers.” Snubbed, according to Rochester’s WHAM-TV Channel 13, were bubbles, Clue, Fisher-Price’s Little People, green Army men, My Little Pony, the Magic 8-Ball, Nerf toys, Pac-Man, the scooter and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Sigh. We’re totally getting an Island of Misfit Toys vibe right now, and it’s not even Christmas. And we’re a bit afraid those little green Army men might be getting ready to recon the museum and stage a coup.

When asked about its chances for making it into the museum’s collection next year, our Magic 8-Ball answered, “My reply is no,” then “As I see it, yes,” and then “Better not tell you now,” so who knows what’s up there.

Criteria for inclusion in the collection are icon status, longevity, innovation and “discovery” -- the ability to foster learning, creativity or discovery through play. Anyone who wants to fill out an online form can nominate a favorite plaything for consideration.

Which toy would you nominate?

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