Is Your Childhood Favorite on the Toy Hall of Fame Finalist List?

Apparently, some of the toys that practically raised us still haven’t earned a spot in the National Toy Hall of Fame.

The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester has revealed the 12 finalists being considered for its 2026 class, and this year’s list is basically a trip through several generations of childhood. It has everything from classic board games to tiny dolls, collectible cards and one very giggly red monster.

Meet the 2026 Toy Hall of Fame Finalists

This year’s finalists are:

• Bingo
• Bop It!
• Care Bears
• Mahjong
• Monster High dolls
• Mouse Trap
• Pokémon Trading Card Game
• Polly Pocket
• Slide
• Sorry!
• Tickle Me Elmo
• Yahtzee

Honestly, the biggest surprise may be how many of these aren’t already in.

Yahtzee has been destroying perfectly peaceful family game nights for generations. Sorry! taught us that sending someone else’s game piece all the way back to the beginning was both allowed and deeply satisfying. Mouse Trap gave children everywhere the dream of building an elaborate contraption, whether or not anyone ever actually finished playing the game.

Then there are the toys that immediately date your childhood.

Read More: Toys "R" Us Is Getting Back In Business For The Holiday Season

If you grew up in the ’80s, Care Bears made us believe every mood, feeling and personality deserved its own colorful bear. If you were a ’90s kid, Polly Pocket proved an entire dream house could fit inside something roughly the size of a compact.

Tickle Me Elmo caused absolute chaos during the 1996 holiday shopping season. Later generations had Pokémon cards and Monster High dolls taking over toy boxes, backpacks and wish lists.

And Bop It! deserves recognition for turning three simple commands into one of the most stressful experiences a child could voluntarily have.

What Does It Take to Make the Toy Hall of Fame?

The Strong doesn’t choose inductees based on nostalgia alone. Finalists are judged on four main qualities: icon status, longevity, discovery and innovation.

In other words, a toy should be widely recognized, remain popular across generations, encourage learning or creativity, and change the way people play in some meaningful way.

Get our free mobile app

That helps explain why the finalist list is so varied. Bingo and Mahjong have histories stretching back much further than many of the branded toys on the ballot, while products like Bop It! and Tickle Me Elmo brought technology and interactive play into the mix.

Tickle Me Elmo Gets Another Chance

For one finalist, this is familiar territory.

Tickle Me Elmo was also nominated in 2025 but didn’t make the final cut. Last year’s inductees were slime, Trivial Pursuit and Battleship.

Read More: Utica Proposes Major Changes to Pool, Ski and Recreation Fees 

Other toys passed over in 2025 included Catan, Connect Four, Cornhole, Furby, the scooter, snow, Spirograph and the Star Wars lightsaber.

Yes, snow was nominated. When you think about the number of snow forts, snowmen and school-day celebrations it has provided, it actually makes a pretty convincing case.. especially here in New York.

You Can Help Choose the Winners

The public can vote in the Player’s Choice Ballot through tomorrow, September 23.

The three toys receiving the most public votes will be combined on one ballot and considered alongside the top choices submitted by members of the National Selection Advisory Committee. That means the public collectively gets the voting power of one committee member.

The final 2026 inductees will be announced in early November.

Cast your vote on The Strong Museum’s Player’s Choice Ballot.

Now comes the hard part: choosing just one. Are you voting for the toy you loved most, or the one you think truly changed childhood forever?