The Toy Hall of Fame has just announced three new inductees: the baby doll, the skateboard, and the stick! How fabulous is that in the face of all the expensive battery-powered walking talking beeping licensed-character interactive “developmental” toys out there?!?
Here’s an excerpt from the press release:
And last but not least, one very unconventional “plaything”—the Stick!—has now taken its honored place in the hall. Found in all sizes in nature, sticks inspire spontaneous, unstructured play and can be used in unendingly imaginative ways—to draw in the sand on a beach, or to use as a magic wand, slingshot, light saber, fishing rod, or walking stick; not to mention playing stickball, toasting marshmallows, or playing “fetch” with your dog. Sticks are the original construction toys: children make toy buildings out of sticks and design toy boats with leaves for sails. Many an adult has picked up a driftwood souvenir from the beach, and artists and crafters use sticks in wreaths, chairs, and sculptures. The stick now keeps proud company with another untraditional “toy”—the Cardboard Box—inducted into the hall in 2005. After all, the best toy is often a plaything that’s free, easy to get, and a source of endless creativity. (http://www.strongmuseum.org/about_us/press/NTHOF/PressReleases/2008/winners%202008%20release.pdf)
Go, stick, go!
-Kim
