The Toilet Paper Tube and Other Great Toys

Congratulations are in order! This year's inductees to the National Toy Hall of Fame have been announced! Prepare the tributes and ticker tape parades; we need to honor  innovative creations like the big wheel (the bridge between walking and cycling!), the Game Boy (Mario Brothers rules!), and the ball (um...what?)

If that last one surprised you, then you might also be interested to know that the cardboard box was inducted in 2005. The stick is in the Hall, too. Frankly, we applaud the inclusion of such rudimentary objects as the ball, the box, and the stick. After all, most household objects make great toys—sometimes even the best toys!

So, in honor of the ball, box, stick, and all other fantastically ordinary playthings, we've come up with the following list of candidates for induction in next year's Toy Hall of Fame ceremony. Without further adieu and in no particular order, the nominees are...

• Toilet paper tube
• Pot and spoon
• Your mom's lipstick
• Rubber cement—we love rolling it up like boogers
• Shoebox (all right, perhaps this belongs in the Cat Toy Hall of Fame)
• Your baby brother—except when he bites you
• A rubber band
• Scissors (Don't run with those! They aren't toys!)
• Gum wrappers
• Plastic cups
• Your retainer (ewww, gross. But fun!)
• A piece of string (okay, this one goes in the Cat Toy Hall of Fame too)

What was your favorite toy growing up? Any other nominees you think belong in the Toy Hall of Fame?

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