12 Toys From Your Childhood That Earned A Spot In The National Toy Hall Of Fame

Somewhere in upstate New York, there is a museum where a cardboard box and a stick are famous. That is not a joke. It is the National Toy Hall of Fame, and it honors the playthings that shaped generations of kids.

According to Wikipedia’s page on the National Toy Hall of Fame, the hall was established in 1998 and was first housed at A. C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon. In 2002 it moved to the Strong National Museum of Play, now The Strong, in Rochester, New York, and as of 2025, 91 toys have been inducted. Here are 12 that likely sat in your own toy chest.

The surprise is how humble many of the winners are. Wikipedia’s list of inductees by year includes a stick, a ball, a blanket and a cardboard box right alongside the famous brands.

Before we begin, a quick note. These are the toys the hall honors, and the list below sticks to the ones most of us played with ourselves.

Etch A Sketch Made The Cut

Wikipedia lists the Etch A Sketch among the original inductees. Turn the two knobs, draw a wobbly house, shake the whole thing and start over.

It was a toy with no batteries and no instructions. Every kid learned the same lesson: straight lines were easy, curves were hard.

Hula Hoops Earned A Spot

Hula hoops are on the list of original inductees as well. The craze of the late 1950s sent hoops spinning on hips in every neighborhood.

If you could keep one going while you talked, you were the star of the block.

Barbie Dolls Joined, Along With Creator Ruth Handler

Wikipedia notes that Barbie dolls and creator Ruth Handler were part of the original class. Barbie debuted in 1959 and has been a fixture of toy chests ever since.

Plenty of today’s grandmothers still remember their first doll.

Crayola No. 500 Crayons Colored The World

The original inductees also included the Crayola No. 500. Nobody forgets the smell of a fresh box when the lid first opens.

A new box of crayons was one of the simple joys of back-to-school season.

Lego Pieces Built Their Way In

Lego pieces were among the first group too, according to the Wikipedia list. The little plastic bricks snapped together and came apart a thousand different ways.

Every parent has a story about stepping on one in bare feet.

Tinkertoy Pieces And The Monopoly Board Joined Them

Tinkertoy pieces and the Monopoly board are also on the original list. One lets kids build whatever they can imagine, and the other lets them bankrupt their family over the holidays.

Monopoly, a game from Parker Brothers, has launched a thousand arguments around the kitchen table.

The Tonka Bottom-Dump Steel Truck Rolled In

Wikipedia lists the Tonka bottom-dump steel truck among the hall’s inductees. Those trucks were tough enough to survive a sandbox, a driveway and a younger brother.

They were the sort of toy that was handed down without a scratch worth worrying about.

Silly Putty Stretched Its Way In

Silly Putty is on the list as well. Press it onto a newspaper comic, peel it up and the funny pages stared back at you.

It bounced, stretched and snapped, and it was a staple of the pocket and the lunchbox.

Raggedy Ann Became A Hall Of Famer

The hall inducted the Raggedy Ann doll, with her red yarn hair and rag-doll smile. Johnny Gruelle created her.

She was a bedtime friend for generations of children.

Candy Land Is In The Hall Too

The board game Candy Land is on the list, and it needs no reading skills. Draw a card, move to a color and hope you do not land in the molasses swamp.

Kids who could not yet read still played it.

Easy-Bake Oven Cooked Up A Place

Wikipedia says the hall inducted the Easy-Bake Oven, specifically its first three versions. A light bulb baked a tiny cake, and that was enough to make a kid feel like a pastry chef.

Plenty of families still remember the tiny cake mixes.

The Big Wheel Rolled In Next

The Big Wheel is on the list of inductees as well. Low to the ground with a giant front wheel, it was built for racing down the driveway.

The loud rumble on the sidewalk was unmistakable.

Look back over the list and a theme shows up. Most of these toys are simple, last for years and leave plenty to the imagination.

Wikipedia’s list shows the hall keeps growing, with later classes adding everything from board games to action figures. The old favorites above, though, are the ones that made the first cut.

The hall also honors some very simple things. A stick, a cardboard box and a ball are on the Wikipedia list too, a reminder that the best toys do not need a battery.

If you still own any of these toys, check them for their condition and keep them out of the sun. And if you have grandchildren, hand one over, because the best way to honor a toy is to let a kid play with it.

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