(Rochester) The Bout d’chou doll enters the Toy Hall of Fame, along with baseball cards, the Corn Popper baby push toy and NERF foam toys.
The Fisher-Price push toy, which accompanies babies in their first steps, was chosen by fans who were invited to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hall of Fame by inducting one of the five toys that reached the final more than once in the past, but which had been dismissed.
The pogo stick, My Little Pony, PEZ candy dispensers and Transformers were the other eternally excluded from the temple.
Among these finalists was Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, who was not selected despite a sharp increase in his visibility thanks to the film released last summer.
“The four inductees represent a great mix of play types for people of all ages,” Christopher Bensch, vice president of collections and chief curator of the Toy Hall of Fame, said in a statement.
Winners are on permanent display at the Hall of Fame, located inside the National Strong Museum of Gaming in Rochester, New York.
Since 1998, dozens of toys have entered the Hall of Fame, including hobbies as simple as the cardboard box, games as old as chess, and figurines as influential on pop culture as the doll Barbie.
Last year, the Hall of Fame hosted the spinning top, Masters of the Universe figurines and the Lite-Brite game.
Anyone can nominate a toy, but for it to make it into the Hall of Fame, it must be considered a creative hobby and enjoy lasting popularity.
Other finalists this year: Battleship, Bingo, Bop It, Connect 4, Slime and Ninja Turtles.
