The U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame announced Thursday this year’s list of new inductees including Rubik’s Cube, green plastic toy soldiers and a viscous plastic substance called Bubbles.
The oldest of the three, green toy soldiers, first introduced in the 1930s, have seen popularity go up and down, until the 1995 movie “Toy Story” once again propelled them to the level of a must-have.
The mind-teasing Rubik’s Cube, invented in 1974 by Hungarian professor of architecture Erno Rubik, was very popular in the in 1980s, with more than 100 million sold in the United States and 350 million worldwide.
Bubbles, was a modern version of soap bubbles, but more durable, enabling children to inflate them to different sizes and stick them together to create various shapes.
The original Bubbles contained toxic substances so it was discontinued, but safer versions are still available.
New inductees were selected by the 24-member committee consisting of toy collectors, designers and psychologists, while conditions for nomination included achievement of icon status and survival over several generations.