The Strong Names 2024 National Toy Hall of Fame Finalists

The following article is based on a press release issued by The Strong National Museum of Play on September 18, 2024.

September 18, 2024 | The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, unveiled the 12 finalists for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame this November.

Narrowed down from the thousands of nominations The National Toy Hall of Fame receives annually, this year's list includes: Apples to Apples, balloons, Choose Your Own Adventure gamebooks, Hess Toy Trucks, My Little Pony, Phase 10, Pokémon Trading Card Game, remote-controlled vehicles, Sequence, stick horse, trampoline, and Transformers.

“It’s great to see some returning contenders such as My Little Pony and Transformers among this year’s class of 12 finalists, but they’re up against some worthy first-time finalists, including party game Apples to Apples, the trampoline, and balloons,” said Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections and chief curator at The Strong. “These 12 toys represent the wide range of play — from strategic to whimsical to physical — and present many playful matchups. The selection judges and public will have some tough decisions this year!”

Fans can vote for their favorite finalists through September 25 as part of a “Player’s Choice” ballot. The three toys that receive the most public votes will be submitted and will join the other top three submissions by members of the National Selection Advisory Committee. (The public will collectively act as one member of the 23-member committee.)

The final 2024 toy inductees, chosen based on the ballots, will be announced by The Strong National Museum of Play in November. To date, 84 toys have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.

The National Toy Hall of Fame resides in the museum’s Toy Halls of Fame exhibit, which also includes The Toy Association’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame display. Museum attendees can learn about the luminaries in the Toy Industry Hall of Fame via an interactive 10-foot kiosk featuring touch screen monitors with in-depth biographical information about each inductee. The Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductees for 2025 will be announced in October and honored at The Toy Foundation’s Toy of the Year® Awards, taking place February 28, 2025 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

Click here for more information on the Toy Hall of Fame finalists.