Three new toys have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. The 2020 inductees are Jenga, Baby Nancy (photo not available) and Sidewalk Chalk. They are the top three vote-getters of 12 finalists that were announced back in September which included Lite-Brite, My Little Pony, Risk and Yahtzee.
Lite-Brite, which came on the scene in 1967, and Yahtzee, which originated as Yatzie in the early 1940's, were staples during my childhood. You would think based on their longevity, popularity and continued strong sales they would have been enshrined a long time ago. Lite-Brite has already named one of the Top 100 toys of all time while Yahtzee continues to sell a reported 50 million units per year.
Jenga,the wooden block puzzle game, some 30 years newer than Yahtzee, was selected for its simplicity and its ability to be played by anyone. Baby Nancy, the Black baby doll introduced in 1968, was selected for being a pioneer. And Sidewalk Chalk was selected because "There are few limits to what kids can do with chalk."
The three new inductees will be on permanent display at the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York.
(a portion of the above content provided by Democrat & Chronicle)