A toy about good, clean fun along with a game about capturing a king made the cut and into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
The classic rubber duck and the game of Chess were announced Thursday morning as this year's two inductees during a press conference at the Strong Museum of Play.
"They show both extremes of the world of play and how the toys in the Hall of Fame represent the entire spectrum in between those, so these are great new additions," said Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections at the The Strong.
"These are a great matchup," Bensch added. "Both poles in the world of play. One is so cerebral and strategic and the other one is pure fun, splashing around with no big intent, you don't win or lose with a rubber duck."
There were other strong contenders with online polls showing a lot of support for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and also for My Little Pony this year, Bensch said.
The complete list of finalists were: Bubbles, Chess, Clue, Fisher-Price Little People, Little Green Army Men, Magic 8 Ball, My Little Pony, Nerf Toys, Pac-Man, Rubber Duck, Scooter, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Anyone can nominate a toy to be inducted. An internal museum advisory committee comprised of curators, educators and historians review the nominations and determine what toys meet the criteria for selection, according to the National Toy Hall of Fame.
A national selection committee then reviews the finalist and votes on its picks to choose winners.
Thursday's ceremony included a guest appearance by Leigh Rubin, nationally syndicated cartoonist and the creator of the cartoon Rubes, who helped unveil two commemorative cartoons that will become part of the museum's permanent collection.
A public celebration of the winners and presentations by Rubin is also planned at the toy museum this weekend.
