Stick, skateboard, Baby Doll enter Toy Hall of Fame

http://www.cnn.com ^

[Lucky9teen]

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- A magic wand, a fishing rod or a royal scepter?


Chris Bensch, curator of collections, shows off the newest inductees into the Toy Hall of Fame, a stick.

The lowly stick, a universal plaything powered by a child's imagination, landed in the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday along with the Baby Doll and the skateboard.

The three were chosen to join the Strong National Museum of Play's lineup of 38 classics ranging from the bicycle, the kite and Mr. Potato Head to Crayola crayons, marbles and the Atari 2600 video game system.

Curators said the stick was a special addition in the spirit of a 2005 inductee, the cardboard box. They praised its all-purpose, no-cost, recreational qualities, noting its ability to serve either as raw material or an appendage transformed in myriad ways by a child's creativity.

"It's very open-ended, all-natural, the perfect price -- there aren't any rules or instructions for its use," said Christopher Bensch, the museum's curator of collections. "It can be a Wild West horse, a medieval knight's sword, a boat on a stream or a slingshot with a rubber band. ... No snowman is complete without a couple of stick arms, and every campfire needs a stick for toasting marshmallows.

"This toy is so fantastic that it's not just for humans anymore. You can find otters, chimps and dogs -- especially dogs -- playing with it."

[Lucky9teen]

Longevity is a key criterion for getting into the hall, which the museum acquired in 2002 from A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Ore. Each toy must not only be widely recognized and foster learning, creativity or discovery through play, but also endure in popularity over generations.

While dolls have been around since ancient times, the Baby Doll with its realistic newborn features emerged in the late 18th century and has been through hundreds of incarnations. Today's models can crawl, drink and even talk via voice-activated commands.

"It is generally thought of as lovable and cuddly, even if it can doze off or cry during play," said Susan Asbury, an associate curator. "Toy designers have spent decades making it ever more lifelike and true to form. ... It promotes imaginative play and brings out the nurturing side in all of us."

The first skateboarders in the 1950s cruised walkways on California beaches trying to match the speed, turns and tricks performed by surfers they watched offshore.

Apart from being fun, practicing ollies, grinds and primos "promotes individualism ... artistic expression and it's also very athletic," skateboard icon Tony Hawk said in a video message played at the induction ceremony.

[BlueStateBlues]

I nominate the “cardboard box”, one of the most enduring toys for every generation. Along with the Ant Farm, of course.

[Tax-chick]

Cardboard Box was the winner in 2005, according to the article. I think the stick is a great choice.

[shadeaud]

Don’t forget the hula hoop

[Sybeck1]

I nominate “pots and pans” to go alongside their combo brother “the stick”. Great music there...............

But don’t forget “rock” and “dirt clod”..........

[BlueStateBlues]

You’re right, I missed that. Stick gets my vote too. I guess rocks and cans will get their turn.

[Lucky9teen]

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

One of the reasons my son would never have made it in the public schools is that he subscribes to the "every stick is a potential gun" philosophy. He kept getting in trouble with his preschool teacher for this. He's almost 11 now, and shows no signs of letting up.

[El Sordo]

Mud gets my vote.

[Smokin' Joe]

Interesting to note that most often sticks were used by my generation as firearms while playing 'army' or 'cowboys and indians' or 'cops and robbers'....

Swords were second place, 'cause Moms did not like the physical contact involved...

You're going to put someone's eye out!

[Sybeck1]

With a piece of string and a tomato stake you have a great horse..........

[robomatik]

my favorite as a child.

[Tax-chick]

Dirt would be very high on my kids’ list. I discourage rocks — too many calls to the rescue squad attracts unwanted attention.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

The should have added any toy that the child has to beg back from the adults who are playing with it.

[Tax-chick]

We had those in blue, gray, and green. Yanks, Rebs, and Martians?

[subterfuge]

What's with all the serious posts about this? This is ridiculous. WE are paying someone to choose, store and curate a freaking stick?!! If were doing that we must also be categorizing and storing other important things like bad breath.

It isn't a toy, but certainly we have a bad odor museum? How about feces types. There are certainly many thousands of those, and for posterity we should do studies about that. Where do we keep the dirty underwear museum? Slick Willie is probably overrepresented there.

[Lucky9teen]

[petro45acp]

Probably never make it into the lineup, but how about the pocket knife?

Games:
stretch
chicken
mumbly peg (toe-knee-chest-nut)

Creativity:
Sharp stick
whittln
kerchief slide
pinewood derby car
barely recognizable quadruped
stick with rings

Responsibility:
Be aware of what/who is around you
always cut away from what/who is around you
keep the tool sharp
use just enough force

Used to be a boy wasn’t a boy without a pocket knife (cheap, expensive, slip back or lock back, didn’t matter).

Guess it is easier to pay medical bills later than to train em while they are young.

...always did like that stick thingummy.

[loungitude]

Atta boy!

[Politicalmom]

My son delayed this phase until he was about 11. He’s still going strong at nearly 15, making machine guns, bows, or any other weapon he can think of out of sticks. The sad part is, he is big enough to strip my trees of their branches. :)