Optimus Prime vs. My Little Pony: The Toy Hall of Fame Wants You To Vote On Its Next Inductee

One of these toy lines will make it inside the Hall for its 25th anniversary.

By Jake Rossen |
Optimus Prime could go into the Toy Hall of Fame this year.
Optimus Prime could go into the Toy Hall of Fame this year. / Gobi, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

Even Optimus Prime has his limits. For 25 years, being honored by the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, has proven elusive for Prime and the rest of the Transformers. The same holds true for PEZ dispensers, My Little Pony, and other things have were probably lurking under your bed as a kid. But this year, you can help change that.

According to the Associated Press, the Hall of Fame—part of The Strong Museum of Play—is allowing the public to vote on which of five classic toys will be inducted for their 2023 ceremony, to be held November 9.

The National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York.
The National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. / Courtesy of The Strong, Rochester, New York

The “forgotten five” include Hasbro’s Transformers, the shapeshifting robots from space that launched in the 1980s and led to a film franchise; My Little Pony, a line of collectible equines with terrific hair; PEZ, the hard candy that comes in a novelty dispenser; the Fisher-Price Corn Popper, a noisemaker kids can propel across carpets; and the pogo stick, a spring-assisted hopping device that dates back to the 1800s but grew popular after a modernized version was introduced by inventor George Hansburg in 1919.

The Hall of Fame will also select three other inductees the conventional way: via a convened panel of toy experts. Nominees include the tabletop game Battleship, Bop It, Cabbage Patch Kids, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Ken of Barbie fame, among others.

The public can vote on the “forgotten five” entrants through October 24.

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