Which toys will make it into the National Toy Hall of Fame this November? Can Battleship sink Connect Four? Will Tickle Me Elmo laugh past Furby? Can snow leave slime out in the cold? Will the Star Wars Light Saber outduel Catan?
The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester on Wednesday announced the 12 finalists for induction into the hall: Battleship, Catan, Connect Four, cornhole, Furby, scooter, slime, snow, Spirograph, Star Wars Light Saber, Tickle Me Elmo, and Trivial Pursuit.
“This year’s contenders present some playful matchups. There’s a great group of classic tabletop games in Battleship, Catan, Connect Four, and Trivial Pursuit. Then you have some nontraditional toys like snow and slime, which are wonderful vehicles for play. There’s also Tickle Me Elmo and Furby—two technological icons of the ’90s toy world—battling it out,” says Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections and chief curator. “I’m always excited to see where the judges and public come out in their votes. At the end of the day, the playful debates just go to show how much personal and cultural relevance these toys have for us all.”
The National Toy Hall of Fame receives thousands of nominations annually, and fans may vote for their favorite finalists from September 17 to 24 as part of a “Player’s Choice” ballot at toyhalloffame.org. 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 2025 toy inductees, chosen based on the ballots, will be announced by The Strong National Museum of Play in November.
Battleship
Originally a pencil and paper game, Battleship’s inspiration began with similar two-person strategy games in the late 19th century. Various manufacturers printed paper versions beginning in the 1930s. Television advertising played a part in the success of Milton Bradley’s now iconic plastic 1967 edition. Since its debut almost 60 years ago, Milton Bradley’s Battleship game has sold more than 100 million copies. The game was among the first board games to be computerized in 1979, and today, countless electronic versions exist.
Catan
First published by Kosmos in Germany, Catan (known earlier as Settlers of Catan) is one of the first German-style board games to achieve popularity outside of Europe. It is a strategic, competitive game in which players represent settlers establishing communities and cities on an island. Catan heralded a boom in modern hobbyist board gaming. As of 2025, more than 45 million copies of Catan in 40 languages have sold, and the original game—as well as special versions and expansions—have won multiple international game awards.
Connect Four
Connect Four, also known under non-proprietary names, is commonplace in many U.S. households. Taking turns dropping discs into a vertical grid, players attempt to form a line of four discs in their color. While the game has long been mathematically solved, meaning that the first player can always win with the correct moves, the game remains popular. It may teach the youngest kids hand-eye coordination and pattern detection, and it underscores the benefits of thinking ahead. Whatever the benefits, kids of a certain age enjoy the game, and parents have found plenty of reasons to like it, too.
Cornhole
Cornhole boards and bean bags are common sights in the backyard or the bar patio. While the game is commonly associated with the American Midwest, it is enjoyed nationally and even internationally. Competing one-on-one or in teams, players attempt to throw bean bags at a slanted wooden board with a hole in it. They score one point for landing a bag on the board and three points for throwing a bag through the hole. The game is played with many house rules and regional variants. Cornhole’s simplicity and flexibility have made it a staple of the picnic, bonfire, and barbecue for adults and children alike.
Furby
Furby—a fuzzy creature with piglet ears, a bird beak, and drowsy, blinking eyes—debuted in 1998. It featured innovative technology, including adaptive language learning (pre-programmed) and sensors. More than 40 million Furbies sold within the first three years of production. It was reintroduced to a new generation of kids in 2023 with enhancements. For more than 25 years, Furby has encouraged interactive, imaginative play, and demonstrated the capabilities of sophisticated technology.
Scooter
First appearing as a homemade vehicle of two wheels, a wooden deck, and handlebars, the scooter began cruising American streets and sidewalks around the turn of the 20th century. Scooters continued to provide kids with easy, fast-enough, low-tech transportation for generations. Modern scooters made of lightweight materials and innovative technology, such as Razor Scooters, have transformed the mild-mannered two-wheeler into a vehicle of speed, dexterity, and durability suited for a variety of sporting events and competitions.
Slime
Slime has leveraged its squishy, squashy, tactile appeal to become a beloved plaything for generations of kids. From its commercial introduction in 1976, Slime has gone on to become an element of other playthings and a television star in its own right. Manufacturers produce slime under various brand names and with certain proprietary twists, but slime has also proliferated as a do-it-yourself project. Most importantly, slime encourages play that is messy and experimental.
Snow
Is snow just precipitation—or the ultimate vehicle for play? Packed into balls, it becomes a mostly harmless projectile that provides endless fun. It also supports slower, constructive play. It can be used to build a snow fort or make a snow angel. Sledding, skiing, and snowboarding offer electrifying downhill descents for the brave. Whether sculpted creatively or sledded or shredded upon, snow makes for a toy like no other.
Spirograph
A simple toy for creating geometric drawings or a complicated tool for understanding complex mathematical formulas? Either way, Spirograph has entertained and educated kids of all ages for 60 years. Spirograph was first packaged as a set of gears, rings, triangles, and straight bars. By placing a pen point into one hole of a gear and rotating it around the other gear—or inside another—users could create intricately patterned geometric drawings. Art or math, play or educational tool, Spirograph is a formula for fun.
Star Wars Lightsaber
When 20th Century Fox released the first Star Wars movie in 1977, no one imagined it would change the toy industry and popular entertainment so dramatically. Kenner released an official Star Wars Light Saber toy in 1978. The arsenal of toy lightsabers that followed—with lights and sounds—demonstrates the influence of popular culture on play, our fascination with mystical weapons, and the possibilities of technology.
Tickle Me Elmo
Tickle Me Elmo combined the appeal of Sesame Street’s stand-out character with a novel design and became the must-have toy of the 1996 holiday season. Putting electronics into a plush-type toy had been done before but Tickle Me Elmo took it to the next level and allowed the toy to emulate the experience of being tickled. Laughter is emotional and physical—it’s fun, but also a little uncomfortable. When Elmo was tickled, he laughed, then he laughed some more and shook with glee. Tickle Me Elmo relates to basic play elements—anticipation, surprise, and pleasure.
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit’s brain-racking questions have been challenging players for more than 40 years. The game rewards a vast breadth of knowledge, with questions ranging from geography to entertainment, from history to art, and from science to sports. As individuals or in teams, players race to collect pie wedges in six colors by maneuvering around the board and successfully answering trivia questions. Available in various editions on a wide array of topics, Trivial Pursuit is a challenge for trivia enthusiasts of all stripes. By 2023, the game had sold more than 100 million copies.
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