Slime, that sticky, sticky and often homemade toy, was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday alongside the best-selling games of all time Battleship and Trivial Pursuit.
Each year, the Hall of Fame honors toys that have inspired creative play across generations, selecting finalists from thousands of nominees submitted online. Voting by the public and a panel of experts decides which games will be entered.
Milton Bradley’s Battleship, a strategy game that challenges players to strike down an opponent’s warships, and Trivial Pursuit, which tests players’ knowledge in categories such as geography and sports, have each sold more than 100 million copies over several decades, according to the Hall of Fame.
Battleship began as a pen-and-paper toy in the 1930s, but it was Milton Bradley’s 1967 plastic version with foldable stations and model ships that became a hit with the public. Its popularity peaked when Universal Pictures and Hasbro, which now owns Milton Bradley, released a movie called “Battleship” in 2012, loosely based on the game. Battleship was also among the first board games to be computerized in 1979, according to the Hall of Fame, and several electronic versions now exist.
Trivial Pursuit allows players to compete alone or in teams as they maneuver around a board answering trivia questions in exchange for wedges on a game piece. Canadian journalists Chris Haney and Scott Abbott created the game in 1979 and eventually sold the rights to Hasbro. Specialized, frequently updated versions have emerged for young players, baby boomers and other sectors, and daily online quiz keeps players engaged, said Chris Bench, the game’s chief curator.
Slime’s appeal is more about squishing than skill.
It was introduced commercially in 1976 and is manufactured under various brand names, but is most readily available as a product. Do it yourself project. The Internet offers a variety of recipes using ingredients such as baking soda, glue, and contact lens solution.
“Although slime still has icky connotations of slugs and swamps — all part of the fun for some — the toy provides meaningful play,” said museum curator Michelle Barnett Dwyer, adding that it is also used to relieve stress and build motor skills.
The honorees will be permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame inside the National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.
This year’s inductees were Vote on the other candidates Including Catan and Connect Four toys, a Spirograph, a “Star Wars” lightsaber, a Furby and a Tickle Me Elmo. They also beat out classics including scooters, cornhole and snow.