Anakin Skywalker can’t believe it.
Sand has been inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame, despite the fact that it’s “coarse, rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere.”
Alongside sand, American Girl dolls and the board game Risk were also inducted Thursday into the hall of fame in Rochester, New York, which sits inside the Strong Museum of Play.
“Sand has a global reach that most toy manufacturers would envy,” museum curator Christopher Bensch said in a press release. “It’s been a vehicle for play since prehistory, and anyone who has spent the day at the beach can understand the allure of this toy.”
The Toy Hall of Fame began honoring toys in 1998. Anyone can nominate a toy, but special toy experts limit the field to 12 finalists each year. Three are selected for induction.
Other finalists this year included Battleship, billiards, Cabbage Patch Kids, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Mahjong, Masters of the Universe, the piñata, Settlers of Catan, and the toy fire engine.
American Girl dolls were selected for combining fun with history lessons in each toy. Creator Pleasant Rowland described them as “chocolate cake with vitamins.”
Risk was selected for its enduring popularity and influence on other games, including fellow nominee Settlers of Catan.
While sand was able to ride its many fans into the Toy Hall of Fame, its key counterpart on the beach, water, has not been honored.
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