This Aug. 25, 2020 photo provided by the The Strong museum in Rochester, N.Y., shows the 12 toys that are up for induction to the the National Toy Hall of Fame later this year. From top left are My Little Pony, Baby Nancy, Lite-Brite, Sorry and Masters of the Universe. From bottom left are Yhatzee, Tamagotchi, Risk, sidewalk chalk, Bingo, Jenga and Breyer Horses. (Victoria Gray/The Strong museum via AP)
Breyer Horses and My Little Pony are neck-and-neck in the race to the National Toy Hall of Fame, making the list of 12 finalists for the Class of 2020, announced Wednesday.
Baby Nancy, an ethnically correct Black doll unlike those produced before her debut in 1968, is also up for the honor. The games Risk, Sorry, Yahtzee, bingo and Jenga also made the list, which is rounded out by Lite-Brite, Masters of the Universe, sidewalk chalk and the 1990s virtual pet, Tamagotchi.
Three of the finalists will be inducted into the hall Nov. 5.
“These 12 toys represent the wide scope of playthings — from simple sidewalk chalk that has its roots in ancient times, to Baby Nancy, which proved a turning point in the representation of race in dolls, to the more recent, highly innovative Tamagotchi,” Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections, said in a news release.
Bensch said all the nominees have influenced how people play, one of the key criteria for earning a spot in the hall of fame alongside icons from the jack-in-the-box to the cardboard box, both inducted in 2005.
Honorees also must have lasted through generations, have reached icon-status, and foster learning, creativity, or discovery through play.
A national selection committee casts ballots for the winners. Members of the public, who submit nominations all year, can also weigh in on the final selection through an online “Player’s Choice” ballot from Sept. 9-16.
This will be the 23rd class to be inducted into the museum, which is located inside the Strong museum in Rochester, New York.
More about the nominees, according to the Strong:
— Baby Nancy: Introduced by Shindana Toys, a company dedicated to making toys that reflect Black pride.
— Bingo: a staple of fundraisers for churches and charities that descended from a lottery game first played in Italy around 1530.
— Breyer Horses: collectibles produced by the Breyer Molding Co. for the past 70 years.
— Jenga: the stacking game created by Englishwoman Leslie Scott based on wooden blocks from her childhood in Africa. The name has Swahili roots.
— Lite-Brite: colorful plastic pegs are backlit when placed in a black background.
— Masters of the Universe: a Mattel-produced line of action figures led by He-Man and She-Ra.
— My Little Pony: pastel mini-horses introduced in the 1980s and reintroduced in 2003.
— Risk: the war and strategy board game first published in the United States in 1959.
— Sidewalk chalk: the medium of masterpieces, as well as generations of driveway hopscotch games.
— Sorry: the board game that relies on cards, rather than dice, to move players’ pawns from start to home.
— Tamagotchi: the palm-size digital pets considered a fad by some but credited with helping to shape the electronics toy market in the 1990s and early 2000s.
— Yahtzee: the dice game that maker Hasbro estimates is played by 100 million people on a regular basis.
After premiering at the 2022 Sundance Festival, Showtime is slated to drop the four-part docuseries "We Need to Talk About Bill Cosby" this Sunday. Director W. Kamau Bell joined Cheddar to discuss the sensitive project and about coming to grips with the reality of who Bill Cosby is following the numerous allegations of sexual assault. Bell said the biggest takeaway from the project is that survivors are not only looking for the 84-year-old comedian to be held accountable, they also want to prevent future assaults. "Maybe the key thing to learn is how do we create a society that is more supportive and accepting particularly women in this case who are survivors of sexual assault," Bell said.
Tax season is now underway, and it's going to be a bit different than in years past. For starters, the deadline is April 18, instead of the typical April 15th, and many Americans will need to account for advance child tax credit payments, the return of the recovery rebate credit, and a special break for charitable contributions, among other things. Brent Weiss, Co-Founder and certified financial planner at Facet Wealth, tells us what we need to know about filing our taxes this year, and when we can expect to receive our returns.
College enrollment has been on a steady decline for years, and the pandemic hasn't helped. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a 6.6% — more than 1 million students — drop in undergraduate enrollment, according to a recent report. Douglas Belkin, higher education reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joined Cheddar to discuss the long-term implications of students sitting out of college, and what institutions can do about it.
As the midterm election looms, things aren't looking too promising for President Joe Biden. One year into his term as president, Biden is facing one of the lowest approval ratings of any modern-day president, threatening his party's control of the House in 2022. Brian Bennett, Senior White House Correspondent for TIME, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
A full one year into his term as President of The United States, President Biden addressed the nation on Wednesday, facing questions on everything from inflation to chip shortages and covid-19. As Biden enters his second year in office, he is facing one of the lowest approval ratings of any modern-day president. Kate Davidson, Reporter, POLITICO joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
San Diego has just implemented a new law that could set the stage for how the country deals with food waste. This new law hopes to make a dent in that. Businesses and groceries stores out in San Diego will need to put a plan in place to *donate edible food rather than toss it straight to the trash. Food Rescue Manager at Feeding San Diego, Kate Garret
The streaming giant Netflix posted its latest earnings from its fourth quarter after the close on Thursday. The company's stock plummeted shortly after the company warned that its rate of subscription additions are slowing down. Senior Reporter at MarketWatch Jon Swartz, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Earlier this month, New York City experienced one of the deadliest fires it has seen in decades. 17 people lost their lives in the Fordham section of the Bronx. This was due to a faulty space heater which reportedly began on the lower floor of the 120 unit building. Thanks to the F. D. N. Y. And heroic neighbors, many were able to get out in time. Unfortunately, the toxic smoke surged upwards through a safety door. Now, many advocates say negligence by policymakers and landlords has led to the deaths in black and brown communities from fires that honestly could have been preventable. Legislative Director of Citizen Action of New York, Rebecca Garrard, and the Chair of Journalism and New Media Studies at St. Joseph's College Theodore Hamm, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
