By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Bingo, Care Bears, the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the humble playground slide have all made it into the National Toy Hall of Fame, taking their place alongside classics like Mr. Potato Head and G.I. Joe.
The winners emerged Thursday from a field of 12 finalists that included Bop It!, mahjong, Monster High dolls, Polly Pocket, Tickle Me Elmo, Yahtzee and the board games Sorry! (Sorry, Sorry!) and Mouse Trap.
Experts at The Strong National Museum of Play, home to the National Toy Hall of Fame, note that bingo, which “descends from an Italian lottery played around 1530,” is now played virtually worldwide.
“While bingo is now often associated with an older audience, it has become increasingly popular with young adults. Recently, public bingo games have gone beyond fundraising and have become popular in bars and nightclubs,” curator Mirek Stolee said in a statement.
The effort to get the Care Bears into the Hall was helped by earning nearly 1 million followers on social media, while Pokémon trading cards were buoyed by anime enthusiasts and manga readers.
The Hall said the slide helps children develop motor skills and encourages exploration. “People of all ages remember fondly the simple, satisfying, and energizing experience of racing down a slide,” said Jeremy Saucier, vice president for collections.
While anyone can nominate a toy, the ones that make it into the Hall must be considered icons, have engaged multiple generations, fostered creativity, or profoundly changed play or toy design.
The four 2026 winners will join the 90 toys already enshrined in the National Toy Hall of Fame, a list that includes Cabbage Patch Kids, Dungeons & Dragons, Hot Wheels and Frisbee.