The National Toy Hall of Fame has welcomed three new inductees: the ubiquitous gooey plaything Slime, alongside the enduring board games Battleship and Trivial Pursuit.
Each year, the prestigious institution honours toys that have sparked imaginative play across generations, selecting finalists from thousands of online nominations. A combination of public votes and expert panel decisions determines the final inductees.
Milton Bradley's strategic naval combat game, Battleship, and the general knowledge quiz, Trivial Pursuit, have both achieved remarkable success, each selling over 100 million copies across several decades, according to the Hall of Fame.
Battleship started as a pencil-and-paper game in the 1930s, but it was Milton Bradley's 1967 plastic edition with fold-up stations and model ships that became a hit with the public. Its popularity crested when Universal Pictures and Hasbro, which now owns Milton Bradley, released the 2012 movie, “Battleship,” loosely based on the game. Battleship was also among the first board games to be computerized in 1979, according to the Hall of Fame, and now there are numerous, electronic versions.
Trivial Pursuit lets players compete alone or in teams as they maneuver around a board answering trivia questions in exchange for wedges in a game piece. Canadian journalists Chris Haney and Scott Abbott came up with the game in 1979 and eventually sold the rights to Hasbro. Frequently updated, specialty versions have emerged for young players, baby boomers and other segments and an online daily quiz keeps players engaged, chief curator Chris Bensch said.
Slime's appeal is more about squish than skill.
It was introduced commercially in 1976 and has been manufactured under various brand names, but it is even more accessible as a do-it-yourself project. The internet offers a variety of recipes using ingredients like baking soda, glue and contact lens solution.
“Though slime continues to carry icky connotations to slugs and swamps — all part of the fun for some — the toy offers meaningful play," curator Michelle Parnett-Dwyer said, adding that it's also used for stress relief and building motor skills.
The honorees will be on permanent display at the Hall of Fame inside The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.
This year's inductees were voted in over other nominees including the games Catan and Connect Four, the Spirograph drawing device, the “Star Wars” lightsaber, Furby and Tickle Me Elmo. They also beat out classics including scooters, cornhole and snow.
