There is an actual National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. Each year, since1998, “toys that have inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over a sustained period” are inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame.
This year, the inductee for age 1-5 is a favorite toy that this Grandma’s own children played with and owned, Fisher Price Little People. I can remember my own children playing with the Little People Farm, Little People House, and others, and watching their pretend play. The first version was made of wood in 1959, and arms and legs were not given to the Little People until the 1990s.
What a wonderful choice for a holiday present for young grandchildren! And, the Little People options have expanded so much over the years:
Fisher-Price Little People Animal Friends Farm. This still folds up into itself and includes several animals and sounds. Buy at Amazon:
You can add a tractor and more farm animals:
Fisher-Price Little People Surprise & Sounds Home. This has gotten more elaborate with more sounds and action, but still with a very reasonable price. Buy at Amazon:
You can add an SUV
You can add a swing set.
You can even add a grandma and grandpa, of course.
After all these years, Fisher Price has come up with more Little People toys, most at a reasonable price point: Disney Princess Palace, Zoo, Camper, Airplane, Skyway with many cars, Noah’s ark, Christmas Story, Amusement Park, among others. Buy at Amazon:
Or, you can choose among the twelve 2016 Finalists, which includes the second winner for 2016. See if you can guess the second winner:
Bubble Wrap
I just received a video from a long (we never say old) friend of her year old granddaughter playing with the bubble wrap in the box in which an elaborate toddler gift arrived. It was adorable to watch her play with the bubble wrap instead of the gift. Bubble wrap was created in 1957 by two engineers who were attempting to develop a new kind of wallpaper and developed bubble wrap by accident. The only time this Grandma buys bubble wrap is to use to wrap fragile items. Maybe use it as gift wrap this holiday season!
Care Bears
This Grandma remembers Care Bears from the 1980’s and now you can buy plush toys as well as books, games and figures. These run for ages 1-5 like Little People, and several items can be great stocking stuffers. Buy at Amazon:
Coloring Book
This Grandma’s adult friends are into coloring books more than my grandchildren, with the adult craze hitting within the last five or six years. According to Wikipedia, “[t]he McLoughlin Brothers are credited as the inventors of the coloring book, when, in the 1880s, they produced The Little Folks’ Painting Book. . . . They continued to publish coloring books until the 1920s, when the McLoughlin Brothers became part of the Milton Bradley Company.” See previous post: “Coloring Books have Graduated to A Way for Grandparent and Grandchild to Feel Better Together”
Clue
This Grandma loved playing Clue as a child and with the children. Families now have designated “game nights,” and Clue is a great holiday gift for the whole family. Now seventy years old, Clue is still a best seller and there are more versions to choose from, beginning with Clue, Jr. for ages 5-9. There is the classic edition, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Big Bang Theory, a version for every interest and age group. There is even a Nightmare Before Christmas version. Explore them all at Amazon:
Dungeons & Dragons
Now for preteen and teenage grandchildren, Dungeons and Dragons is it! Game night with the parents of the grandchildren will get as complex as the family wants. This game featuring imaginary worlds of magic and monsters originated in 1974, created by Gary Gygaz and Dave Arneson, played by at least 20 million people today, according to Wikipedia. It is said to have influenced today’s computer game industry, but remains the best selling and best known role playing game. Check out everything Dungeons & Dragons on Wikipedia. Buy at Amazon:
Nerf
This Grandma cannot imagine that a parent or grandparent nominated Nerf. When Nerf foam balls were first produced in the 1960s, they were advertised as indoor balls. This did not go over well with this Grandma who had one experience with indoor balls, not the Nerf variety, which caused a glass picture frame to break and glass to fall all over one of the parents of our grandchildren when she was a child. Even a foam ball should not be played indoors. It gets worse with Nerf, as it is primarily guns and darts, as stated on Wikipedia,
“Nerf (trademarked in capitals as NERF) is a toy brand created by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, but there are also several different types of Nerf toys, such as balls for sports like football, basketball, baseball, and others. The most notable of the toys are the dart guns (referred to by Hasbro as “blasters”) that shoot ammunition made from Nerf foam. Since many such items were released throughout the 1970s, Nerf products often feature bright neon colors and soft textures similar to the flagship Nerf ball. “ Nerf is not this Grandma’s choice as a winner.
Pinball
This Grandma was a pinball champ always. Pin ball machines are the best, with players using flippers to launch steel balls through mazes. When the parents of the grandchildren were children, pinball was on Nintendo, and again this Grandma was hooked. Pinball started as arcade games and can be traced to the late 1700’s. For the holidays, you can buy inexpensive table top pinball machines to expensive stand alone models. Buy at Amazon:
Rock `Em Sock `Em Robots.
This Grandma never heard of Rock `Em Sock `Em Robots, and I now know why. Fighters fight each other and throw mechanical punches in an effort to knock down their opponent’s fighter. Find them yourself on Amazon if you are into violence.
Swing. This Grandma was surprised to find the simple swing on the 2016 list. It seems that there were always swings, as shown by ancient cave drawings in Europe and ceramic vases from Greece. If you choose to buy a swing set for the grandchildren as a holiday present, be aware of the necessity of padding on ground turf. See this study:
See this study for the depth of surface material under the swing set for safety. Even backyard playgrounds need special surface materials and special depth of such materials for safety. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/325.pdf
Transformers
This Grandma previously did research and a funny post on transformers: “Little Transformers for Grandchildren and Big Transformers for Grandma.”
Our grandchildren love Hasbro’s shape-changing action figures. They can be found, not only in action figures of all kinds, but additionally in comic books, games, breakfast cereal and movies. There is a new transformer movie out this summer. This Grandma did a post on a previous Transformer movie and how to evaluate such, “The 2014 Top Five Box Office Movie Winners For Grandchildren and Whether Grandchildren Should Actually See Them.”
Uno
Uno made this Grandma’s best holiday gift list for 2015 in various versions. Check out “Award Winning Toys and Games Sure to Be Winners With Our Grandchildren and a Winner for the Grandchildren to Get for Grandma This Holiday Season 2015,”
Uno, created in 1971, goes everywhere with our grandchildren and is a great game night game for the whole family. There are now waterproof versions for the beach. Another great stocking stuffer! Check out on Amazon:
Did you guess the second 2016 Toy Hall of Fame winner from twelve 2016 Finalists? I did not. I guess the first winner was for youngest children so the second winner had to be for the oldest children. Go back over the list.
Yes, Dungeons & Dragons. I guess it is time to start our preteens and teens on the journey.
Remember to check out the 2016 Oppenheimer Platinum Award winners on www.toyportfolio.com for more holiday gift ideas for grandchildren of all ages.
Remember to check out this site for movies, books, games and app reviews.
Also, remember that a gift card for apps on electronics is also a winner for grandchildren of all ages, and they can find many of the above winners in the App Store.
Happy Holidays with
Joy,
Mema
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