Toy Hall Of Fame To Announce Latest Inductees In November

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And now this - we have in hand this year's finalist for the National Toy Hall of Fame.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

There's a National Toy Hall of Fame?

CORNISH: Yeah. It's in Rochester, New York, and they induct toys the way the baseball Hall of Fame inducts players.

INSKEEP: You mean the way the baseball writers vote in the players?

CORNISH: Right. And with this Hall of Fame curators, educators and historians judge.

INSKEEP: OK. Fine. So who are the nominees?

CORNISH: Twelve toys made the short list. They include the American Girl doll, the Rubik's Cube and bubbles.

INSKEEP: Bubbles?

CORNISH: Yeah, you know, that you blow.

INSKEEP: OK. American Girl I get, bubbles I get, but I would have thought Rubik's Cube would already be in there?

CORNISH: Oh, no, no, no.

CHRISTOPHER BENCH: Both Rubik's Cube and the Fisher-Price Little People have been finalists five previous times, and I regard them as the Susan Lucci's of the toy world at the moment.

CORNISH: That's Christopher Bench of the Toy Hall of Fame.

INSKEEP: OK, fine, so what are the kids thinking of all this?

CORNISH: Well, naturally, we asked. Ari and Eli Fybush considered who they'd vote for.

ARI: I think probably Rubik's Cube, I mean, it's really iconic.

ELI: I forgot what was on the list. Now, if I could say anything I wanted it would be Mr. Potato Head.

CORNISH: Alas, of the 12 nominees just two will make it in.

INSKEEP: Pulling for the Fisher-Price Little People to finally come through.

CORNISH: It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.