Atari, Raggedy Andy and the Kite Are Enshrined at National Toy Hall of Fame

The Strong National Museum of Play, in Rochester, New York, has released the list of this year's National Toy Hall of Fame inductees. What three classic toys made it into the Hall of Fame this year? The Atari 2600 Game System, Raggedy Andy, and the kite. These toys were selected from among twelve "toy finalists" which included favorite plaything such as the baby doll, Big Wheel, Game of Life, Hot Wheels, My Little Pony, the pogo stick, the skateboard, Spirograph, and Yahtzee.

The Atari 2600 Game System was a pioneer in the home video game field. Not because it was the very first home game system (which was, by the way, the Magnavox Odyssey), but because, it was the first system that, as the press release states, "popularized the play form." In 1975, Atari made waves in the industry when the legendary table-tennis game called Pong was sold to the public as a home-video game. In 1977, however, the home video game system was revolutionized when the Atari 2600 Video Computer System burst onto the market, offering consumers a high-quality system that played multiple games.

"The 2600 had better games, more colorful graphics, and sharper sound than the original systems," commented in the news release Jon-Paul Dyson, who serves as vice president for exhibit research and development, and is associate curator for electronic games. Dyson enthusiastically continued about the Atari, "Combat, Space Invaders, Pac Man, Frogger, and countless others mesmerized an entire generation and made video games a part of everyday play in the home. The Atari 2600 was a true game-changing toy."