Yesterday, the Strong National Museum of Play, which runs the National Toy Hall of Fame, announced that Magic: the Gathering was one of 12 games and toys nominated for its class of 2019. Two or three of the finalists will be inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame on November 7, 2019.
Magic is joined by 11 other finalists: Care Bears, the coloring book, the Fischer-Price Corn Popper, Jenga, Masters of the Universe action figures, Matchbox cars, My Little Pony, the Nerf Blaster, Risk, the smartphone (as a platform for games), and the top. The inductees will be chosen by a 23-member panel, but fans can vote in the Players’ Choice Ballot to help influence the panel’s choices.
The National Toy Hall of Fame was established in 1998 and originally located at A. C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon. Its first class of inductees in 1999 included 17 toys and games, ranging from Barbie, the Crayola Crayon, the Etch-a-Sketch, and Legos. In 2002, it moved to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.
Criteria for induction in to the National Toy Hall of Fame are wide ranging. They include whether or not the toy or game has achieved “icon status;” has been popular over a long period of time and wasn’t just a fad; promotes creativity, learning, and discovery; and was an innovative product that changed toy and game design.
