#national toy hall of fame

[aeonmagnus]

We are honored to share that the Transformers brand has been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, part of The Strong National Museum of Play.

Our beloved transforming robots have participated in the National Toy Hall Of Fame selection several times over the last years, but was usually defeated in the final vote. The moment finally arrived, and Transformers has finally been selected as one of the 2024 inductees, together with My Little Pony and Phase 10. You can check it out in the Museum Of Play website.

We did it! Time to celebrate that our franchise is being finally recognized as a brand which has inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over the years. Till all are one!

Inducted 2024

In the early 1980s, Hasbro secured the rights to Japanese toymaker Takara’s Diaclone and Micro Change line of shape-changing robot toys. Hasbro developed the toys for a U.S. audience and in 1984 premiered Transformers with an elaborate backstory about a war between robots developed by Marvel Comics. The characters split into two fractions: the heroic Autobots—peaceful transport vehicles led by Optimus Prime—facing against the villainous Megatron and his Decepticons. Each of the figures issued in 1984 had its own array of talents and capabilities, which appeared on the Tec Spec Chart and Bio Card packaged with each figure.

Appropriate for the 40th Anniversary.

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” - they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them! Get in contact with them on Facebook, shipping to the U.S. only, and tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

For those of you unfamiliar with such things, in Rochester, New York there is the Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame - and recently they inducted the next twelve toys they’ve deemed fit for special recognition for posterity. This isn;t a list of what’s recently come to market, but toys that have captured the hearts and minds of kids and those who are still kids at heart. So this week let’s see what you all get from the list! 

Aries 

What if we told you your toy was something you weren’t allowed to touch in order to play with it? Sounds all kinds of wrong, right? Well dig this, ‘cause your toy is the category of “Remote-Controlled Vehicles”! Known as “(R/C)”s it could be anything from an R2-D2 model to a VR-Vision Drone, but in all cases it’s just fun to enjoy. So This Week… If you’re thinking of trying your hand at Model Aircraft flying, please buy one of these Flight Trainer Programs first. They usually come with a replica controller so you can get used to what it looks like when you crash $1,400 worth of your hard-earned money into the ground like it was a Lawn Dart.

Taurus 

Your toy is one of the youngest here, having been created in 1974 in a dream. The game is called, “Sequence” and involves a deck of cards, a playfield with multiple card images on it, coloured chips to put on the board, and the plan to place a sequence of five of your chips in a row before your opponent does. So This Week… The game really started in the early 1980’s and took a bit to gain traction and popularity. Keep that in mind as we start the new year; you’re allowed to take time to come up to speed and hit your stride.

Gemini 

This can be arguably considered one of the most dangerous toys possible; and for the record it’s NOT the board game, “Monopoly”. As a youngster what did you learn about physics? If you said, “I didn't learn anything!”, well congratulations - you owe Virgo an apology for spoiling their toy. In reality you learned about Gravity and how to use it to play. Your toy is the Trampoline! All kinds of fun to have, so long as you keep your hands and feet inside the ride until the occupant comes to a complete and full stop. So This Week… There’s also the slight problem of built-up static electricity when using one. Be sure to purposefully zap yourself so you don’t fall getting out.

Cancer Moon-Child 

Your toy’s gotten a bit of a renaissance in the 21st century and goes by several names: cock horse, stick horse, or hobby horse. It’s, basically as the name suggests, a long stick with a stuffed plush horse’s head on the end, sometimes with reins, and the rider carries it along, dragging between their legs, and imitating various equine stepping gaits. So This Week… There are groups who use these toys instead of real horses in dressage events or polo. Go check them out and see just how in-shape you could be if you joined them!  

Leo 

Some aren’t going to think this category qualifies as a “toy”, but the Strong Museum would disagree. Imagine you’re reading a chapter in a book, and suddenly it ends on a cliffhanger, but YOU get to decide where the story goes next! Welcome to the world of, “Choose Your Own Adventure gamebooks”! You get to help the adventurer find their way through a maze, or track down a lead in a detective story. No matter what, you’ll get to have fun! So This Week… If you think you’re not a computer simulated consciousness, just remember that all these, “Turn to page X to continue the story” prompts are just “GOTO” programming commands!

Virgo 

We’re hoping Cancer didn’t totally spoil the reveal for you on this one. What’s more fun than a hobby horse and half the size? How about a “My Little Pony”? Originally called, “My Pretty Pony” it’s gone through a number of changes with each successive generation - some more successful than others. But the behemoth juggernaut that most folks are familiar with now would be 2010’s “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic”. Even though that generation’s run its course, being officially replaced in 2021 with “My Little Pony: A New Generation” aka Gen5, the fanbase it generated has been nothing short of miraculous. So This Week… Only you can write the finale to your book. Make it a good one.

Libra

For you we have another card game, though to be honest we’ve not heard of this one. The game is called, “Phase 10”, and its rules and objectives get super tough to follow very quickly. The only part we were able to understand was the fact that games will usually be shortened by half to help finish quicker. Not sure if that’s a selling point or not, but whatever. So This Week… Even if someone tries to cut you down, just remember that you are still as ferocious as ever. And a slow burn anger can sometimes get the point across better than yelling would. 

Scorpio 

Released for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1996, Pocket Monsters Red and Blue most definitely didn’t look it on green screen, but it was the beginning of a monstrous franchise. Your game isn’t the Game Boy cartridge, but the Pokémon Trading Card Game itself that spawned from it. Who knew kids could be convinced to spend lots of allowance money on card packages with only a slim chance of gaining something special for their future card battles. So This Week… In video games this practice is usually called “Loot Boxes”, and is highly frowned upon or outright banned if real world money is involved. You’re an adult now - make sure you can inspect what you’re buying before you pay for it.

Sagittarius 

You’re getting a classic, a master stroke of ingenuity, and a versatile toy, underrated in modern days because of its lack of lights or bells or batteries, or ANY power source, actually. Balloons! You don;t think that’s a worthwhile toy? Might we remind you of its versatility! It’s a target at almost every carnival with a dart board, it’s a jet engine for a milk-carton boat, it’s a floating sign when filled with helium, and when properly reinforced, semi-inflated, and sat on produces an imitation of a Barking Spider. So This Week… Let others underestimate you and your abilities. It’ll be their undoing.

Capricorn 

Depending on where and when you live, you might not have ever seen the next toy in person, or maybe you’d only ever heard about it as spoken-of legend, but trust it, they’re real! Hess Toy Trucks were that special sometimes Last Minute Gift for the kiddos if someone was running late into the Gift Giving Season. Sold at HESS Gas Stations from 1964 until their switchover to Speedway stations in 2015, every year had a different truck or car or jet or helicopter to entertain. So This Week… Even if you didn't get one growing up, you can still check “Hess Toy Truck Dot Com” to see all the old ones and the upcoming new ones. And use coupon code, “HORRIBLE” to save not a whit on any purchases you make there. 

Aquarius 

The fact that your toy made it out of its infancy is a testament to how good an idea it was when it started - considering it literally killed off its main character and traumatized generations of children! Your inductee is a marvel of marketing and engineering: Transformers! What was more impressive to you? Peter Cullen & Frank Welker performing the voices of Optimus Prime and Megatron live without  any audio aid of any kind, or designing a Triple Changers? So This Week… If you start to sound like Optimus in your own head, your vocal cords are covered in stuff because you’re sick. Put on a mask or stay home. 

Pisces  

We know how you are and how you operate, but for just one stellar moment, just TRY to be an All Audiences personality for a change, hmm? Imagine a card game where, literally, the dealer cannot win the game! Apples to Apples is, for lack of a nicer way to put it, the “General Audiences” version of “Cards Against Humanity” - and the fact that C.a.H. is a more popular game to you tells us all we needed to know today. So This Week… There’s something special that comes out of setting limits for yourself and working inside them. Ignore those cheat codes! Don’t use God Mode! Forget editing the Config files! Learn how to do what you need with fewer resources and you’ll be a more powerful thinker.

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know - or check out the Ko-Fi page ( https://ko-fi.com/icarusthelunarguard )! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Facebook, Discord, and BLUESKY.

[readingroombookshop]

Cabbage Patch Kids and the Fisher-Price Corn Popper are added to the Toy Hall of Fame

Fans have pushed the Fisher-Price Corn Popper into the National Toy Hall of Fame, elevating it from perpetual finalist to 2023 inductee, alongside baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids and NERF foam toys, the Hall of Fame announced Friday.

[uniqueartisanconnoisseur]

End of an Era, Tribute to Roy Lee Baker

The Late Roy Lee Baker End of An Era, Tribute to Roy Lee Baker It’s not quite the same This farm toy game. I look for you in the crowd, Checking, looking laughing out loud. Your creativity is missed and your dedication To the farm toy hobby you added a certain elation. You leave a legacy and toy show behind You were always quick with a word I find Myself at a loss here at the Gateway…

[chibiskittleslovesponies]

Guess what! I got to go to the National Toy Museum Hall of Fame induction today :D My Little Pony FINALLY made it into the Hall, after SEVEN failed attempts by members of the community to get them recognized. bottom 4 pics are of the display in the Hall of Fame, top two are regular museum displays :D

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Run-DMC featuring Aerosmith - Walk This Way 1986

"Walk This Way" is a song by the American rockband Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album Toys in the Attic (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit singles for the band in the 1970s.

In 1986, the hip hop group Run-DMC covered "Walk This Way" in collaboration with Aerosmith, and it became a touchstone for the new musical subgenre of rap rock, or the melding of rock and hip hop.

This version of the song charted higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than the original, peaking at number 4, becoming Run-DMC's biggest hit. It was also the first hip hop single to reach the top five on the Billboard charts, as well as one of the first big hip hop singles in the UK, peaking at number 8. It won both groups a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Single in 1987. Raising Hell was nominated for a Grammy Award, making Run-DMC the first hip hop act to receive a nomination. In 2017, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant".

Both versions of "Walk This Way" are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The 1986 video for "Walk This Way" symbolically places Aerosmith and Run-DMC in a musical duel in neighbouring studios before Steven Tyler literally breaks through the wall that separates them. The video segues to the bands' joint performance on stage. The highly popular result was the first hip hop hybrid video played in heavy rotation on MTV, and is regarded as a classic.

"Walk This Way" received a total of 68,3% yes votes! Previous Aerosmith polls: #84 "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)".

[dailyoplita]

I ✨🌺I Figures of Optimus Prime and Elita-One from the article "It’s Transformational: Transformers Enter the National Toy Hall of Fame" by The Strong National Museum of Play.

[kylegamerguy]

I would disown you if I was your mom not cause your gay but because you have a shit personality I hope you kill yourself

yeah that's cool and all but have you heard of this thing called a rubik's cube??

The Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Pentangle Puzzles in the UK in 1978, and then by Ideal Toy Corp in 1980 via businessman Tibor Laczi and Seven Towns founder Tom Kremer. The cube was released internationally in 1980 and became one of the most recognized icons in popular culture. It won the 1980 German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle. As of March 2021, over 450 million cubes had been sold worldwide,making it the world's bestselling puzzle game and bestselling toy. The Rubik's Cube was inducted into the US National Toy Hall of Fame in 2014.

On the original classic Rubik's Cube, each of the six faces was covered by nine stickers, each of one of six solid colours: white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow. Some later versions of the cube have been updated to use coloured plastic panels instead, which prevents peeling and fading. Since 1988, the arrangement of colours has been standardised with white opposite yellow, blue opposite green, and orange opposite red, and the red, white, and blue arranged clockwise in that order. On early cubes, the position of the colours varied from cube to cube.

A salaryman trying to solve a Rubik's cube in an izakaya after work in Japan, 2008

An internal pivot mechanism enables each face to turn independently, thus mixing up the colours. For the puzzle to be solved, each face must be returned to have only one colour. It has inspired other designers to create a number of similar puzzles with various numbers of sides, dimensions, and mechanisms.

Although the Rubik's Cube reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1980s, it is still widely known and used. Many speedcubers continue to practise it and similar puzzles, and compete for the fastest times in various categories. Since 2003, the World Cube Association (WCA), the international governing body of the Rubik's Cube, has organised competitions worldwide and recognises world records.

[clowneryandshenanegans]

tadc theory #4

so this one isn’t exactly a theory, but could be piecing things together about the main cast

So it looks like the whole cast is based off of some kind of toy: the most obvious being Ragatha based off a raggedy Ann doll and Kinged being a chess piece.

I feel like what toy the characters are designed after may show what time period they’re all from, and maybe parts of their personality

For Jax the closest toy I could find resembling him was a bendable rubber rabbit toy from around the 1980’s as far as I could find, similar to this:

For Zooble, my first guess was some kind of clay toy like playdough, or some kind of wooden block toy, which was all I could find for toys which have detachable and reattachable parts. Brightly painted wooden block toys were very popular since they were invented, but the national hall of toy fame did put ABC blocks in their collection and gave it the title of one of Americas toys of national significance in 2003, so they may be from around that time as their personality is similar-ish. No idea for them, though.

Gangle is meant to be based off the comedy and tragedy masks, and it may be some kind of mask toy, but I genuinely could not find any from a specific time period, so my guess is it may have been some mask the original human played with as a child and their time period is left undetermined.

Ragatha is very clearly a raggedy Ann doll, which were popular around 1918 when the first doll came out, which leads me to believe it may have been a very old doll passed through for generations until reaching the original human Ragatha was.

Pomni may have been based on a classic Jack-in-the-box, with more metaphorical meaning. The colors are similar to some slightly more modern day ones (still old). I couldn’t find a similar one from a specific time period, but I was able to find the meaning for a jack-in-the-box, which is “surprises, happiness, and as a symbol of childhood”

Kinger is, well, a king chess piece, which is possibly just used to show his age compared to the others/what period he came to the circus, with the golden period for chess being in the 1940’s (goddamn this dude is old)

Now onto the symbolic meanings for what all these could mean.

For Jax, I feel like most of his “cartoon logic” could be explained through this toy, such as the way his limbs bend and stretch, with many also being based on bugs bunny cartoons. (I even found one with overalls similar to his!). Most of these were shown to have white paint on the teeth, eyes, and gloves, which are all shown on Jax to be yellow. White paint yellows with age, so it could show the wearing down of Jax through his time in the circus or his mental state when entering, feeling “worn down” by outside life.

Zooble is shown to be very avoidant, and acts almost like a teenager (speaking from experience as one currently). I have two theories: they had dysmorphia before entering the circus, which caused them to gain the ability to change almost any part of their body after entering, or their body develops throughout the show to be increasingly weird.

I’m not fully sure with Gangle, but their design could have been based off perhaps their original human having some kind of disorder causing mood swings, emotional masking, or simply a permanent “low” feeling. (I myself have had experiences with all of these things, it is NOT fun) I believe the masks may have been some kind of coping mechanism as a child playing with them which led to emotional masking and thus the comedy and tragedy masks in the circus.

Ragatha’s design is similar to a very, very beat up doll, with many patches and the button eye. I believe this could show past abuse as a human, which may also connect to the use of knives with her character (as shown in the character introductions and episode two). I believe that as a human Ragatha was a child of abuse with some kind of relation to knives, and was given a very old raggedy Ann doll as a child. These dolls were originally marketed towards kid to be beat up, being encouraged to “beat, throw, soil, and hang them” due to their soft bodies. This could have been what was done to the original doll, before it was given to Ragatha. She may have felt some kind of relation to the doll, being the first to take care of it after years of abuse, projecting herself onto it and taking care of it by patching it up and keeping it safe. (PROTECT MY GIRLIE)

Pomni is similar to a jack-in-the-box much more than design-wise, with the way she “pops up” out of nowhere in the pilot. They also have to get wound until springing, which could be similar in the pilot to how she continues to be wound up through the episode until losing it in the finale. This could also be a repeat in later episodes, as the same thing happens in the second episode with her being lifted in spirits until everything “pops out of the box”. Jesters are also seen as “lower” in a lot of media, doing silly or “embarrassing” tricks for the entertainment of others who are above them.

Kinger’s design is probably much more focused on metaphors than connection to the past life. In chess, kings are the weakest piece, only being able to move one square, as opposed to pieces like the queen (queenie topped confirmed). However, the game depends upon the king piece, as it ends once one is captured. This may relate to Kingers relationship to the rest of the cast: he’s not mentally “strong” and very jumpy from sound which could be a sense of danger, but so far he’s seen to have a kind of “fatherly role” towards the cast.

and Caine? Well…

[cf8wrk4u-us]

Vote Transformers ✨️

[rabbitcruiser]

National Rubber Ducky Day

According to Sesame Street’s calendar, January 13 marks the birthday of Rubber Duckie, the bathtub toy of Ernie. The day has since become celebrated as Rubber Ducky Day. Rubber Duckie first appeared on Sesame Street Episode 0078, on February 25, 1970; Ernie was in a bathtub in a room that resembled his living room, and sang the song, “Rubber Duckie.” The most popular version of the song was sung by Ernie in Episode 0136, on November 16, 1970. This time he was in a bathroom with a plain blue background. Jim Henson was the real voice behind the song, and it went to #16 on the Billboard “Hot 100 Singles” chart in 1970 as well. Ernie, either by himself or with other characters, has sung other songs about his rubber duckie such as “Put Down the Duckie,” “D-U-C-K-I-E,” and “Do De Rubber Duck.”

Rubber toys first appeared in the late 1800s, as the rubber industry began to grow. The first rubber ducks were not intended to float, but were instead made to be chew toys. A patent for a “Hollow rubber toy” was filed in 1925 and granted in 1928; it included a picture of a floating duck. Peter Ganine made a sculpture of a duck and then patented it. He filed for his patent in 1947 and received it two years later. Over 50 million of the ducks were sold. By the late 1940s rubber duckies were popular, but Ernie’s “Rubber Duckie” song increased their popularity even more a few decades later.

Nowadays rubber duckies are usually not even made of rubber, but of thick vinyl instead, which is cheaper and more durable. Most are made to squeak and have a bright orange bill. They are sometimes made into characters; some are made to look like they have a profession, or are politicians or celebrities. Some wind up and “swim,” while others glow in the dark, light up, or change color. The largest rubber duck was made by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in 2007. Its dimensions were 54ft x 66ft x 105ft, and it weighed about 1,300 pounds. Besides people making giant rubber ducks, some people also collect them.

Rubber duck races take place to raise money all around the world. When people sponsor a duck, money is donated to an organization. Ducks are dumped into a river or other body of water, and the first duck to cross the finish line wins a prize for its sponsor. Hundreds of rubber duck races are held in the United States and internationally. The largest one in the United States is the Freestore Foodbank Rubber Duck Regatta in Cincinnati, Ohio. The rubber duck was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2013. The Hall of Fame “recognizes toys that have inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over a sustained period.” New toys are added each year.

On January 10, 1992, close to 29,000 Friendly Floatees from a Chinese factory washed off a ship. Friendly Floatees are bathtub toys, and the ones that fell off the ship consisted of yellow ducks, blue turtles, red beavers, and green frogs. Two thirds of the toys floated south and ended up in Australia, South America, and Indonesia. The other third went up to Alaska and then circled back towards Japan. Many became trapped in Arctic ice in the Bering Strait. They moved through it at the pace of about a mile a day, and made it to the North Atlantic in 2000. Some arrived on the Eastern coast of the United States and Canada around 2003 and 2004, and most of the rest of them arrived in the United Kingdom in 2007.

How to Observe

The best way to celebrate the day is to take a bath with a rubber duck. You should also listen to “Rubber Duckie” and watch Ernie singing the song on Sesame Street. You could also look for rubber duck races to sign up for, and read Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost At Sea.

Source

[aeonmagnus]

The official National Toy Hall Of Fame website have been updated with a new fan vote, and Transformers has been chosen as one of the candidates.

Transformers has now a chance to join joining icons such as Barbie, LEGOs, and the cardboard box in the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Cast your vote here until September 25th and support our beloved transforming robots. Let us know your impressions on the 2005 Boards!

--

Vote here:

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.23 (after 1920)

1920 – The Netherlands refuses to surrender the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to the Allies. 1937 – The trial of the anti-Soviet Trotskyist center sees seventeen mid-level Communists accused of sympathizing with Leon Trotsky and plotting to overthrow Joseph Stalin's regime. 1941 – Charles Lindbergh testifies before the U.S. Congress and recommends that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler. 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Rabaul commences Japan's invasion of Australia's Territory of New Guinea. 1943 – World War II: Troops of the British Eighth Army capture Tripoli in Libya from the German–Italian Panzer Army. 1945 – World War II: German admiral Karl Dönitz launches Operation Hannibal. 1950 – The Knesset resolves that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. 1957 – American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renames it the "Frisbee". 1958 – After a general uprising and rioting in the streets, President Marcos Pérez Jiménez leaves Venezuela. 1960 – The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) in the Pacific Ocean. 1963 – The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence officially begins when PAIGC guerrilla fighters attack the Portuguese Army stationed in Tite. 1964 – The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified. 1967 – Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Ivory Coast are established. 1967 – Milton Keynes (England) is founded as a new town by Order in Council, with a planning brief to become a city of 250,000 people. Its initial designated area enclosed three existing towns and twenty-one villages. The area to be developed was largely farmland, with evidence of continuous settlement dating back to the Bronze Age. 1968 – USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is attacked and seized by the Korean People's Navy. 1982 – World Airways Flight 30 overshoots the runway at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, and crashes into Boston Harbor. Two people are missing and presumed dead. 1986 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley. 1987 – Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan sends a "letter of death" to Somali President Siad Barre, proposing the genocide of the Isaaq people. 1997 – Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State. 1998 – Netscape announces Mozilla, with the intention to release Communicator code as open source. 2001 – Five people attempt to set themselves on fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, an act that many people later claim is staged by the Chinese Communist Party to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their persecution. 2002 – U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered. 2003 – A very weak signal from Pioneer 10 is detected for the last time, but no usable data can be extracted. 2018 – A 7.9 Mw  earthquake occurs in the Gulf of Alaska. It is tied as the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded in the United States, but there are no reports of significant damage or fatalities. 2018 – A double car bombing in Benghazi, Libya, kills at least 33 people and wounds "dozens" of others. The victims include both military personnel and civilians, according to local officials. 2018 – The China–United States trade war begins when President Donald Trump places tariffs on Chinese solar panels and washing machines. 2022 – Mutinying Burkinabè soldiers led by Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba depose and detain President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré amid widespread anti-government protests. 2024 – Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people.

[readingroombookshop]

Three more toys are being recognized for their innovation and longevity.

The Strong National Museum of Play announced on Tuesday that My Little Pony, Phase 10 and Transformers were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year.

“These are three very deserving toys that showcase the wide range of how people play,” Christopher Bensch, The Strong's vice president for collections and chief curator, said in a news release. “But for My Little Pony, in particular, this year is extra validating. The beloved toy was a finalist seven times before finally crossing the finish line."

[allthenewzworld]

The National Toy Hall of Fame is floating the idea of inducting balloons.

Praised for their versatility and universal appeal, balloons made the list of 12 finalists being considered for the honor later this year, alongside other first-time contenders including the trampoline and the party game Apples to Apples.

Anyone can nominate a toy for the Hall of Fame. The museum received 2,400 nominations for 382 different toys over the past year, according to Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections and chief curator.

See the full list of finalists at link in bio.