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National Toy Hall of Fame announces finalists for 2024 induction

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Now some fun and games. The Strong National Museum of Play has announced 12 finalists for this year's Toy Hall of Fame.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Every year since 1998, this museum in Rochester, N.Y., which is really cool, Leila - I've been there.

FADEL: Oh, really?

INSKEEP: Yeah, I've taken my kids.

FADEL: You have?

INSKEEP: Yeah, absolutely.

FADEL: Oh.

INSKEEP: You can fly through the museum on a zip line - inside on a zip line.

FADEL: That's so cool.

INSKEEP: Anyway, it has recognized - not that I did, of course. But, you know, it's fun to watch. Anyway, it has recognized the most fun-inducing toys of all time, and this year's list includes some real heavy hitters.

FADEL: Remote controlled vehicles.

INSKEEP: Pokémon trading cards.

FADEL: And balloons.

CHRIS BENSCH: If you've ever had a water balloon lobbed at you, you would know that that wasn't just a decoration. That was something that somebody was playing with and trying to get the better of you.

INSKEEP: Boom. Chris Bensch is the museum's chief curator and a spokesman for the National Toy Hall of Fame, who says the contest always tries to think outside the box.

BENSCH: In 2005, we inducted the cardboard box into the hall of fame.

(LAUGHTER)

FADEL: That makes total sense. I always buy my nephews and nieces toys, and they play with the box.

INSKEEP: Exactly. As fun as this sounds, it's serious business. This year, The Strong Museum had to choose 12 finalists from about 400 toys. And soon a committee will decide which three reach the hall of fame.

FADEL: Early indications point to one classic toy brand as a sentimental favorite.

BENSCH: I think lots of us are rooting for My Little Pony. This is their seventh time as a finalist. It's tough to be always a bridesmaid and never a bride. So maybe this will be their Susan Lucci year, in soap opera terms, that finally they get that big award and their chance in the spotlight.

INSKEEP: My Little Pony? It's going to be hard to beat.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "(LET ME BE YOUR) TEDDY BEAR")

ELVIS PRESLEY: (Singing) Baby, let me be around you every night. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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