Toy Hall of Fame Inductees Announced, The Top Finally Gets Its Due

There's a new crop of inductees ready to be enshrined in the National Toy Hall of Fame, located in — where else? — Rochester, New York.

Now, after years of shocking omissions, the humble top will have its day.

Tops are one of three toys being inducted, along with Lite-Brite and Masters of the Universe. Those three were selected from a loaded field of nominees including Bingo (I'd argue that's not a toy), Breyer Horses, Catan, Nerf, the piñata, Phase 10, and Spirograph.

The Hall allows anyone to nominate a toy to be inducted, but a panel of "experts" make the final decision.

There were some snubs in there. Nerf, for instance, should've been a first-ballot HOFer. However, no toy has ever been snubbed like the top.

And the Hall knows it.

“The top is one of the oldest toys and an integral part of many cultures, where it developed independently as a plaything,” Chief Curator Christopher Bensch said. "With more than 5,000 years of history behind it, it’s about time that the top spun its way into the National Toy Hall of Fame!”

Yeah, you're right Christopher, it is.

Just a few of the toys that beat the top into the National Toy Hall of Fame. (Getty Images)

The Top Was Beaten Into The National Toy Hall Of Fame By Everything From Legos To Sticks

Let's take a look at some of the toys that beat the top into the Hall, shall we?

Lincoln Logs, Twister, Etch-A-Sketch, Legos, Barbies, Cardboard Boxes, Blankets (for some reason), puzzles, kites, roller skates, skateboards, sticks (like from a tree), GameBoy, and the Atari 2600 all beat the top into the Hall of Fame.

Sand also got inducted before tops did.

F***ing sand.

It's about time the top takes its rightful spot in upstate New York's most prestigious Toy Hall of Fame. Yet the cynic in me feels it's less about honoring the accomplishments of the humble top than it is about the Hall atoning for decades worth of snubs.

It's like when KISS was finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after years of snubs. It had to happen eventually, but it feels like an empty gesture.

Big congratulations to the other honorees Lite-Brite and Masters of the Universe. They've both had stellar careers, and deserve a spot in Rochester.

Burning your hand on a Lite-Brite is a rite of passage. As for Masters of the Universe, I don't know much about them, but adult nerds seem to like them.

That's apparently enough to be considered HOF worthy.

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