This morning when I was online I found a website called
National Toy Hall of Fame that I wanted to share with Charlie. Because I wanted to see which
toys from my
childhood were inside the
Museum. Even though I thought of a lot of toys from
Raggedy Ann to
Andy would be on the website those weren’t the ones I was looking for. I had another
toy in mind that you might not even remember.
If your
homeschooling your children then I would like to remind you
National Toy Hall of Fame can be a
Virtual Field Trip you and your children take. You could prepare a
lesson plan on when
toys were
manufactured. Or you could pick out a
certain toy and compile a
report on the
toy to share with their friends and family. Include
Artwork and you have a
art show. Just
think outside the box and there is no, telling where
National Toy Hall of Fame will take you and your children.
Would you like to know which toy I was looking for? I don’t think you would ever guess which toy I was looking for. Without further ado I was looking for Mrs. Beasley from a TV show. Do you know which TV Show? You don’t know. Well it was Family Affair and I never missed a episode of Family Fair.
Now, let me tell you something funny I never knew because my dad didn’t tell me until about a month ago. My dad let me know he thought Mrs. Beasley was the ugliest doll ever made, although my dad asked Santa bring me Mrs. Beasley for Christmas. Which goes to show me how much my dad loves me.
Age Range: All (All grades; children with parental supervision)
Take a fun tour of the National Toy Hall of Fame and discover if your favorite toy has been inducted.
Part of the Strong National Museum of Play, discover the history and more of toys that are in the Hall of Fame. Click the “Inducted Toys” link in the upper menu to see which toys have been selected for inclusion since 1998. Click on the toy name to read its story and see some images.
Some memorable toys included are:
- Easy-Bake Oven
- Frisbee
- G.I. Joe
- Etch A Sketch
- Slinky
- Duncan Yo-Yo
- Mr. Potato Head
- Twister
And so many more. Some toys are generalized such as the baby doll, playing cards, bicycle, or ball and other inductees are unique childhood playthings stemming from creativity and imagination like a blanket, a stick, and the cardboard box. Visitors can even nominate a toy to be included.
Toys must meet certain criteria to be considered including being recognizable, memorable, not a generational passing fad, fosters learning, creativity, and discovery through play and more.
But wait!
The toy tour doesn’t stop here. Select the “Research & Publications” link in the green top menu, then choose “Access to Artifacts Collections“. On this page, locate the links under “Learn more about Strong’s key holdings” to browse collections or find the “online database” link to see thousands of other toys sorted by:
- Toys – action figures, baby toys, construction toys, mechanical and pull toys, play sets, educational toys, puzzles, riding toys, stuffed animals, transportation toys, yoyos and tops and more
- Dolls – baby dolls, fashion dolls, celebrity dolls, cloth and rag dolls, collector dolls, paper dolls and more
- Games – board games, card games, outdoor games, role-playing games and more
- Video Games – arcade, computer, console, handheld and more electronic games
- Other Collections – advertising, collectible cards, character products, outdoor play and much more
Visitors can spend hours browsing through all this site has to offer and older visitors may find themselves taking a trip down the memory lane of their childhood days. Be sure to bookmark this site as new items are added regularly.
I have a question for you which toy from your childhood would you like to see? If they have the toy in the museum and why did you choose that toy?
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
