It’s official! Tuesday, the National Toy Hall of Fame inducted My Little Pony, Phase 10, and Transformers. The winners emerged from a field of 12 finalists that also included Apples to Apples, balloons, Choose Your Own Adventure gamebooks, Hess Toy Trucks, Pokémon Trading Card Game, remote-controlled (R/C) vehicles, Sequence, stick horse, and trampoline. The three inducted toys have been enshrined and are on view at Rochester’s Strong National Museum of Play, home to the National Toy Hall of Fame.
“These are three very deserving toys that showcase the wide range of how people play,” says Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections and chief curator. “But for My Little Pony, in particular, this year is extra validating. The beloved toy was a finalist seven times before finally crossing the finish line!”
About My Little Pony: Introduced in the 1980s and reintroduced in 2003, the My Little Pony line of mini-horses encourages children in traditional forms of doll play—fantasy, storytelling, hair grooming, and collecting. The small pastel ponies have come in more than a thousand varieties, all with elongated tails and manes made to be brushed. The toys peaked in popularity between 1982 and 1993—even outselling Barbie for several years.
Says Michelle Parnett-Dwyer, curator of dolls and toys, “The My Little Pony line has endured for decades because it combines several traditional forms of doll play with children’s fascination with horses. The variety of figures promotes collecting as a pastime, too. The continued popularity of the line proves that this brand—pardon the pun—has legs.”
About Phase 10: In 1982, Black game inventor and entrepreneur Ken Johnson introduced Phase 10. The rummy-style card game challenged players to collect various groups of cards to complete 10 phases, in sequential order, before their opponents. The game took off, spawning sequels, variations, and a popular mobile app game. Today, it is one of the bestselling card games in the world, second only to National Toy Hall of Fame inductee Uno.
Says Mirek Stolee, curator of board games and puzzles, “Today Mattel reportedly sells four million Phase 10 decks annually in 60 countries and in more than 20 languages. Whether played in its original form or in one of its variations, Phase 10 has become an iconic game title that continues to encourage multigenerational social and competitive play.”
About Transformers: Hasbro, Inc. first offered Transformers, a toy line of action figures that change their shapes, in the mid-1980s. Marketed with an elaborate backstory supported by a Marvel comic book series, a cartoon television series, animated movies, electronic games, consumer goods, and even its own cereal, Transformers have remained popular ever since. Their popularity has been fueled by additional movies, television shows, and comic books. For more than 40 years now, the appeal of Transformers is, in part, that the toys do what kids do anyway—change the toy to suit the needs of play.
Says Chris Bensch, chief curator, “Transformers enjoy such popularity, in part, because Hasbro has used tried-and-true marketing methods—the multimedia venues for toy-related shows, books, and movies; related consumer products; and new variations and characters regularly added to the line—to keep the toy in front of American kids. But the toys are also popular because they are so suited to the ways kids play. The toy line feeds kids’ imaginations and fantasy play.”
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