Care Bears, Transformers Among Toy Hall of Fame Finalists

The Fisher-Price Little People and Care Bears will square off against Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots and Transformers for a place in the Strong Museum of Play’s National Toy Hall of Fame.

Whether any or all make it will be announced Nov. 10.

The Hall revealed 12 finalists for the class of 2016 on Tuesday at The Strong Museum, in Rochester, N.Y.. The list also includes Nerf foam balls, the board game Clue, the card game Uno, pinball, the swing, Dungeons & Dragons and coloring books. Bubble wrap rounds out the list. If selected, it would join the cardboard box and stick among unconventional honorees.

To be recognized by the Hall, toys must have lasted across generations, influenced the way toys are designed or played with and fostered learning or creativity through play.

Last year, the parlor game Twister, the puppet and Super Soaker squirt gun were honored.

Bubble Wrap was created by accident in 1957 by two engineers who were attempting to develop a new kind of wallpaper. Care Bears began as a line of greeting cards in the early 1980s but evolved into a brand whose bears star in storybooks and games.

New York printer McLoughlin Brothers is credited with inventing coloring books that have enjoyed renewed popularity lately thanks to adult-oriented versions featuring complex designs. The game Clue remains a best-seller nearly 70 years after its release. A wooden version of Fisher-Price Little People first rode the Safety School Bus in 1959. (The brightly painted figures were given arms and legs in the 1990s.)

The swing was first found in ancient cave drawings in Europe and ceramic vases from Greece — and in playgrounds and backyards everywhere. The card game Uno has sold steadily since it was introduced in 1971.