I live in Rochester, NY and did not know the National Toy Hall of Fame is located right here at a local hospital. Two toys were recently inducted and a list of some toys that missed the cut is given. Please read and comment.
There are arguably some ‘baby boomer’ toy classics in the reject pile. But they’re making this list just for PR - so I expect to the see the rest dribble in over the years.
Ah yes, the anything-you-wanted-it-to-be cardboard box - variously the cab of a locomotive, a ship, a fort, a space ship, a tank, a dragster, a police car, a getaway car, the family car, the secret hiding place, a small cave, a rock outcropping to protect you from the imaginary storm in the bedroom, a time machine, a transmogifier, and much more…and, if you lived in the foothills of northern California, in the fall, the perfect sled for zooming down hills covered with dry wild oats. As I recall, Sears boxes had the “best” cardboard which not only withstood repeated rides down the hill but also seemed to have better sliding properties than other boxes.
I remember one year the Dad of one of my friends tried to ride a box down the hill. He veered toward a gully and went screaming off the edge and impacted on the gully wall on the opposite side. It took him quite awhile to emerge from the gully and when he did he was limping…the cardboard box was a good choice for the museum but probably not the best choice for my friends Dad.