I'm always interested in seeing which toys get the nod for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame. This year's winners held no particular resonance for me, I suppose because they came into being well past my toy-playing days. Still, why they may need little or nothing to me, I'm sure that My Little Pony, Phase 10, and Transformers are all worthy entries.
But it was in among the also-rans, the nominees which didn't make it in, that I found more echos of the toys of my youth.
I never had a stick horse, other than using an actual plain old headless picked-up-while-foraging stick for a horse, but stick horses were definitely a thing when I was a kid. And I have a stick horse ornament that hangs from the tree that I just put up.
Trampolines were more something that circus performers had than everyday normal kids. Back in the day, we had to be satisfied jumping from twin bed to twin bed. But, trampolines: yay! That yay! said, I can see why some would have reservations about trampolines, as they can be a tad bit hazardous. (We never broke a head or a limb jumping from twin bed to twin bed, but we did break the leg of one of those twin beds.)
But balloons. Okay, I don't ordinarily think of balloons as a toy. They're a party favor, a bit of decor. But now that the National Toy Hall of Fame mentions them in the same breath as toys, how is it that the balloon isn't already in the Hall?
The balloon has so much to commend it.
Balloons are inexpensive, colorful, cheerful, fun, celebratory.
They're good exercise. Try blowing up the really cheapo ones. Talk about a lung workout.
They teach you how to solve problems. Can't manage to blow a lungful into one of those cheapo, tighty-tight balloons? Doesn't take you long to figure out that you need to stretch them.
They help build manual dexterity. You try tying off one of those cheapo balloons.
They teach you jet propulsion. Forget tying it off, just let that blown up balloon go and see what happens. (The fact that it makes a farting noise just adds to the satisfaction.)
They help build design skills. Mix and match colors? Random or purposeful display? Monochrome? Two-color? Have at it!
You can draw on them. Before you blow them up, you can draw a face on it, write a name, or whatever. Sure, you can do this once they're blown up, but you risk bursting it.
Speaking of bursting a bubble...think about the many and varied life lessons that having a balloon teaches.
Handle things you value with care!
Sometimes, things fall apart: you'll survive!
Caveat emptor: cheap stuff typically falls apart quickly!
Fun, alas, is fleeting!
Then, regrettably, there's the 21st century balloon lesson:
That sudden popping noise isn't necessarily a school shooter. Sometimes it's just a balloon!
There are also the letting go lessons:
If you really value something, hold onto it for dear life. Don't just let go of it and watch it waft off into the sky and wonder how it got away.
Sometimes you really do just have to let something (someone) go and watch them waft off into the sky.
Ah, balloons!
Come on, Hall of Fame! There's always next year. You folks can make this right!
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National Toy Hall of Fame 2024 finalists.
National Toy Hall of Fame 2024 inductees.
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