Playground slide and Pokémon cards among four new Toy Hall of Fame inductees

Four toys have been added to the National Toy Hall of Fame: bingo, Care Bears, the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the playground slide.The new inductees will now sit alongside classics such as Mr. Potato Head and G.I. Joe. after being chosen from a shortlist of 12 finalists.The field included Bop It!, mahjong, Monster High dolls, Polly Pocket, Tickle Me Elmo, Yahtzee and the board games Sorry! (Sorry, Sorry!) and Mouse Trap.The Care Bears' campaign for a place in the Hall was helped by picking up nearly 1 million followers on social media (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)The National Toy Hall of Fame is housed at The Strong National Museum of Play.Experts at the museum note that bingo, which “descends from an Italian lottery played around 1530,” is now played virtually worldwide.“While bingo is now often associated with an older audience, it has become increasingly popular with young adults. Recently, public bingo games have gone beyond fundraising and have become popular in bars and nightclubs,” curator Mirek Stolee said in a statement.Pokémon trading cards were buoyed by anime enthusiasts and manga readers (AP)The Care Bears' campaign for a place in the Hall was helped by picking up nearly 1 million followers on social media.Pokémon trading cards, meanwhile, were buoyed by anime enthusiasts and manga readers.The slide earned its spot on the grounds that it helps children develop motor skills and encourages exploration.“People of all ages remember fondly the simple, satisfying, and energizing experience of racing down a slide,” said Jeremy Saucier, vice president for collections.Experts at the museum note that bingo, which “descends from an Italian lottery played around 1530,” is now played virtually worldwide (AP Photo/Kena Betancur)Nominations are open to anyone, but the Hall sets a high bar for induction.Toys that make it in must be considered icons, have engaged multiple generations, fostered creativity, or profoundly changed play or toy design.The four 2026 winners will join the 90 toys already enshrined in the National Toy Hall of Fame.