#National Toy Hall of Fame

[aeonmagnus]

October 16–24, 2023 In honor of the 25th anniversary of the National Toy Hall of Fame, four inductees will be joining the illustrious hall in 2023. Three will be chosen as usual with the guidance of a National Selection Advisory Committee and the Player’s Choice ballot from a list of 12 finalists announced previously in September. The special, fourth inductee will be chosen by ONLY YOU—the public—from a list of five, multi-time finalists who have failed to make the cut in previous years: Fisher-Price Corn Popper, My Little Pony, PEZ, pogo stick, and Transformers.

Transformers Needs You!

Please vote for Transformers in the poll at the above website. Let's get Transformers into the National Toy Hall of Fame.

[queenofspoons]

We did it!! MOTU is officially in the National Toy Hall of Fame!!

[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…

[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)".

[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

[fmpfinnm]

Most Haunted Places

43 Most Haunted Places in the World, From Underwater Graveyards to Sinister Theme Parks | Condé Nast Traveler (cntraveler.com)

The Stanley Hotel, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel’s stately Georgian architecture and world-renowned whiskey bar have lured travelers to Estes Park since opening in 1909, but the hotel reached new levels of fame after inspiring Stephen King to create The Shining’s fictional Overlook Hotel. That eerie association aside, many other ghost sightings and some mysterious piano music have been connected to the hotel, and the Stanley Hotel leans into its reputation with nightly ghost tours and psychic consultations from the in-house Madame Vera.

Isla de las Munecas, Mexico

Despite its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its well-preserved examples of Aztec life, the neighborhood of Xochimilco has reached a certain amount of internet fame for its Island of the Dolls. Hidden among the region’s many canals, the site is famous for the hundreds of dolls—and doll parts—hanging from trees and scattered among the grass.

While it might look more like a horror movie set, the chinampa (akin to an artificial island) used to be the residence of a now-deceased man named Julian Santa Barrera. After finding a dead girl’s body in a nearby canal, Barrera collected and displayed the toys in the hopes of warding off evil spirits, reports National Geographic. Daring souls can hire their own boat and view the island safely from the water.

Whaley House, San Diego

Thomas Whaley built this family estate in 1857, on the former site of San Diego’s first public gallows. Shortly after he moved in, he reported hearing the heavy footsteps of “Yankee” Jim Robinson, a drifter and thief who was hanged on the site four years before the house was built. Whaley’s family history ended up being filled with tragic deaths and suicides—many of which occurred inside the home itself. According to the Whaley House Museum, some of the family members still haunt the landmark, running up the stairs and turning lights on and off.

I like the Idea that most of these places are bigger more grand houses or halls, this would tie in well with my concept.

[selma80a7711218]

These Toys Are Product Of Foam

A surprisingly profitable water pistol Kickstarter could spark innovation in a tired space. For kids, families, and the young at heart, the water Orbi Gun is a summertime staple. The water pistol remodeled poolside shenanigans and has proven to be a most refreshing type of scorching weather warfare. More than 200 million Super Soakers alone have been sold, totaling greater than $1 billion in gross sales through the years, based on the National Toy Hall of Fame, which inducted it in 2015. More not too long ago, these sales have dropped, doubtless because of a combination of fewer brick-and-mortar stores (R.I.P. While it has undergone some transformations by means of the years, the idea of the water gun is nicely over a century outdated-and it could be due for a refresh. Early mentions of water pistols date again to the late 1800s. The USA Liquid Pistol is one among the first recognized industrial water guns. Released in 1896, the pistol itself was made from forged iron, lending it a sensible resemblance to firearms of the day.

3. The quantity three stage is regulation enforcement. The primary is what you want to construct your techniques around. If it does come right down to a disaster where the SWAT crew really has to enter a structure or a automobile or one thing like that, it's vital to get to these hostages earlier than they get injured. If the suspect gets in the best way of doing that, which does happen, then that particular person will be handled in the level wherein that individual has risen to. If a crew can get in and might get the hostages out without having to deal with the suspect, then that’s a victory. A SWAT team can always deal with any individual in the home by themselves. They can take their time on that, nevertheless, there may be components affecting the duration. Weather or climate could also be an element. A SWAT operator in southern California where it by no means will get below a sure degree has a lot more time. Some man in Wisconsin that’s a SWAT operator coping with 20 below zero temperatures has to build their ways around that. What Law Enforcement Job is correct for Me? What's a Physical Agility Test?

If it's a two-lane highway, these two lanes are the identical. It's thought of the lane the place individuals slam on the fuel. When a load is dumped or a delivery is completed, truckers are typically left with an empty trailer. This lighter trailer could also be better on fuel, however it drives different from a full trailer. Normally, if a trucker has to take secondary roads, they describe it as going by way of the woods. These secondary roads could be a little tougher to maneuver by means of for truckers, but they are professionals. Truck drivers must observe a unique set of rules than most different drivers. The Department of Transportation has enforcement officers on the roads to make sure that truckers are following these guidelines at all times. Over the highway truckers could also be used to going a certain velocity limit. However, as they get nearer to populated areas, that pace limit normally adjustments, and they will inform each other that the double nickel is coming up.

One model, made by LJN Toys, could shoot water as much as 30 toes. The water gun’s breakthrough second got here with the launch of the Super Soaker in 1989. NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson first stumbled upon the concept whereas engaged on a cooling pump seven years earlier. He made a prototype out of Plexiglas, which his 6-year-outdated daughter and her buddies totally enjoyed, and started in search of companions. The Super Soaker’s genius was in the separate water chamber positioned above the barrel, which allowed for a considerable amount of liquid ammo, and a hand pump fairly than a battery-powered pump, which allowed pressure to construct up for a super robust, tremendous accurate stream of water. Certainly one of Johnson’s final prototypes used a 2-liter soda bottle atop PVC piping, but the finished product (the Air Pressure Power Drencher) featured a shiny yellow physique, neon-green water reservoir, and orange spray nozzle. It may build as much as 60 psi of stress and shoot water up to 50 toes.

Got your ears on? Can't you hear me? This phrase is used when somebody replies that they aren't receiving transmission effectively or their radio is not working. While police officers are called bears, if they're noticed in an unmarked automobile by a trucker, that trucker will let his fellow drivers know that there is a plain wrapper simply forward. Schneider trucks might be seen in nearly each state. These trucks received their title from their bright orange colour. While it helps different automobiles see the truck, most truckers prefer to poke enjoyable. Before autos, passenger automobiles have been horse drawn stage coaches. The trucking business makes use of this term to identify tour buses on the road. As truckers talk with one another, they can let others know what's on the highway ahead. The hammer lane most of the time refers to both the far left lane or the passing lane on a highway.

[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 30H overshoots the runway at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, and crashes into Boston Harbor. Two people are 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.

[queenofspoons]

Last year Masters of the Universe lost to Sand in the Toy Hall of Fame poll. This year we can do better and vote together to finally put MOTU in the Toy Hall of Fame. Are you with me?

[looksforleaders]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: 🩵NIB Slinky Original Walking Spring Toy.