GI Joe marches into toy museum

GI Joe, the rocking horse and Scrabble are the latest inductees to the National Toy Hall of Fame at Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y.

They join 28 classic playthings -- including Barbie and Mr. Potato Head, Legos and Lincoln Logs, Slinky, Play-Doh and Crayola crayons -- that have spots in the 6-year-old hall.

G. Rollie Adams, chief executive of the Strong Museum, acknowledged that GI Joe was a somewhat controversial choice, given that some parents and critics have argued that it “fosters violent play, leads to a ‘might makes right’ perspective and desensitizes us to war.”

But what was more significant, he said, was “its influence as an innovator. Its creation in 1964 launched an entirely new category of toys ... best known as ‘action figures.’ ”