America's North Shore Journal

The Toy Hall of Fame is housed at the Strong National Museum of Play here in Rochester, New York. Every year the Hall recognizes a select few toys as worthy of the Hall of Fame. This year toy selections [PDF] have been inducted, the skateboard, the baby doll and… wait for it… the stick. Yes, the ordinary, extraordinary stick finally gets its due. And last but not least, one very unconventional “plaything”—the Stick!—has now taken its honored place in the hall. Found in all sizes in nature, sticks inspire spontaneous, unstructured play and can be used in unendingly imaginative ways—to draw in the sand on a beach, or to use as a magic wand, slingshot, light saber, fishing rod, or walking stick; not to mention playing stickball, toasting marshmallows, or playing “fetch” with your … Read entire article »