Come And See the Newest Inductees Into the Toy Hall of Fame

There are very few things in life that have the ability to leave lasting impressions on any individual. For adults it's normally people, specific events, combination of the two. This is different when compared with children. When you're a kid, you're impressionable to practically everything and everyone in your environment.

For example, every kid has that one absolute favorite toy. Adults now can probably think back to what their first toy was as kid. Right now I can remember the toy sword I had when i was 7; it had a fake golden-eagle hilt (or handle) and the plastic blade was painted to look like a mirror. It was very convincing and like most toys, it broke when I gave it to my baby sister (thanks sis). Then there's the hundreds of hours spent playing generations of Pokemon games.

My entire point here is this: toys are amazing. So while everyone is filled with nostalgia, lets meet or maybe I should say, reintroduce ourselves to the newest inductee's into the National Museum of Play National Toy Hall of Fame.

First Up: The Spinning Top

Spinning Top's actually have an incredibly rich history. The concept behind them is fairly simple, which is why variations of them have been found by archeologists as relics from ancient Greece, Rome, Iraq and China. The Top also has been used in religious celebrations, such as Chanukah. Jewish children during Chanukah would play games with a spinning top or "dreidel". Tops are still made today and enjoyed today, though now most are made with some type of metal or plastic, like Beyblades.

Next Up: Light-Brite

Light-Brite is a truly iconic toy. It allowed for kids to expand their "play with" art and expand their artistic horizon's. The design was also simple, though the creators of Light-Brite, Marvin Glass, Henry Stan, and Burt Meyer streamlined the process and marketed it, all you need was a lightbulb, decoratively designed paper and those classic tiny colored plastic pegs. Lastly, whether it was intentional or not, Light-Brite also became a useful toy for children with autism. It allowed for autistic children to work on concepts like color matching and hand-eye coordination.

Our Final Inductee: The Masters of the Universe

The final classic HOF inductee for 2022 is He-Man and The Masters of the Universe. This line of toys was another a spin on the forever classic "action figure" (NO THEY ARE NOT DOLLS). He-Man was created by Ray Wagner and Roger Sweet in 1979 for the toy company Mattel. The goal was for Mattel to have a competitor to go up against their then rival Kenner, who had pushed a line of Star Wars merchandise.

Mattel pushed The Masters of the Universe with a comic series and later a animated television series, both of which showcased the various stories and characters of the series. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe are still relevant today, as numerous different spinoffs of the animated series have been created, including a recent spinoff which debuted on Netflix in 2021 titled "Masters of the Universe: Revelation.

Toys Are Amazing

If you didn't believe it before, maybe you'll believe it a little more now in how amazing toys actually are. At worst, maybe it was fun to just remember a part of your childhood. For anyone interested the National Museum of Play National Toy Hall of Fame is located in Rochester, New York and is open Saturday-Thursday from 10a-5p and also Friday 10a-8p. Honestly, I may have to plan a trip for my own self.