The rubber duck and the game of chess were named the two inductees of 2013 in the United States’ National Toy Hall of Fame last week. The two inductees were named on Thursday.
According to MSN news, the rubber duck and the game of chess were selected from a group of 12 finalists. Among the finalists were bubbles, Clue, Fisher-Price Little People, Magic 8 Ball, My Little Pony, little green army men, Nerf Toys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pac-Man, and the scooter.
The rubber duck dates back to the late 1800s. They were originally invented for a different purpose though. The rubber ducks did not float, but instead they were used as chew toys for babies going through the teething stage. In the 1940s, they were developed into floating toys.
Today, rubber ducks are not only for kids. According to Patricia Hogan, the curator of toys and dolls at The Strong, a children’s and cultural history museum in Western New York where the National Toy Hall of Fame is located, the rubber ducks have been a fixture of pop culture for decades and recent variations of toy appeal to adults as well as toddlers.
Chess, which is one of the oldest games in the world, is based on chaturanga, an ancient Indian war game that uses pawns to represent different types of fighters. By 1475, chess started to evolve into an intellectual game in England.
The rubber duck and the game of chess are two of the other 51 other toys that have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame since 1998. Last year, Star Wars figures and dominoes were chosen to be inducted. The toys are nominated by the American public.
As a child, I was a fan of rubber ducks and I even have one from when I was a little girl. As an adult, I have two from Bath & Body Works that I use to decorate my bathroom.