There’s not one of us over the age of 30 who doesn’t know the tune of the old Slinky® jingle. The springy silver toy was invented in 1943 by Richard James, a naval engineer who worked with tension springs used to monitor battleships’ horsepower meters. When one of the springs fell to the ground, he saw how it kept bouncing, and the idea for the toy was born. The Slinky was successfully demonstrated at Gimbel’s Department Store in Philadelphia during the 1945 Christmas season. Its debut was a success-more than 400 Slinkys were sold during the 90-minute Gimbel demonstration-and the toy continues to captivate children’s attention today.

So, what makes a toy like Slinky a classic? The National Toy Hall of Fame® (which proudly proclaims Slinky a member) was established in 1998 to recognize toys that have achieved longevity and national significance in the world of play and imagination. To merit induction, the toy must foster imagination, creativity and critical thinking. It must be innovative and have achieved icon status, being easily recognized around the world. To date, 31 toys have made it into the National Toy Hall of Fame, including Alphabet Blocks, Barbie®, Crayola® Crayons, Duncan® Yo-Yo, Etch A Sketch®, Frisbee®, G.I. JoeTM, Hula Hoop®, LEGO®, Mr. Potato Head®, Play-Doh®, Silly Putty®, Tonka® Trucks and View-Master®.

What’s most incredible is that these toys were the favorites of many generations past and also remain extremely popular today. “We get a lot of parents and kids coming in looking for the classics,” says Playville toy store owner Stephanie Dupuy. There will always be the fad toys of the moment-the ones that fly off the holiday shelves as soon as they are stocked-but others never go out of style. They remain popular because they are among our most important human artifacts. As the Hall of Fame puts it: “They remind us of who we were, who we are, and who we hope to become. They help us imagine what’s next.”

Read on to learn the history behind some of America’s most-loved toys. Each would make a great gift for your kids this holiday season. We promise you’ll have as much fun as they will!

Erector® Sets

Watching out the train window in 1911 as workmen positioned and riveted the steel beams of an electrical power-line tower, inventor A. C. Gilbert decided to create a children’s construction kit: not just a toy, but an assemblage of metal beams with evenly spaced holes for bolts to pass through, plus screws, bolts, pulleys, gears and, eventually, even engines. Gilbert began selling the “Mysto Erector Structural Steel Builder” in 1913, backed by the first major American ad campaign for a toy. The Erector Set quickly became one of the most popular toys of all time. Living rooms across the country were transformed into miniature metropoles, filled with skyscrapers, bridges and railways.

Lincoln Logs®

In the decade following 1910, American builders were busy on construction sites in the city and in the playroom. Introduced just after Tinkertoys® and the Erector Set, Lincoln Logs were yet another construction toy to make it big during that time. John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, brought out the line of sturdy interlocking logs in 1916. Wright claimed that the foundation of Tokyo’s earthquake-proof Imperial Hotel inspired the logs’ shape.

Madame Alexander® Dolls

Before there were Cabbage Patch® Dolls, or even Barbie, there were the beautifully crafted Madame Alexander Dolls. For over 80 years, the dolls have found their way into the hearts of girls—young and old—around the world. They were created by Beatrice Alexander Behrman, “Madame” to millions, a remarkable woman with a dream and the determination to make that dream a reality. She grew up in the slums of New York City, but was influenced by the wealthy carriage trade that often came by her father’s doll shop and was determined to rise above her place as a working-class clerk. In 1923, Beatrice began her own doll business at a time when women were still an uncommon sight in the workplace. Over the years, despite the rationing and materials shortages of the Depression and World War II, Madame Alexander’s company not only defied the odds to survive, it thrived.

Rubik’s Cube®

Possibly the most original of all invented puzzles, the Rubik’s Cube was born in Budapest in 1974. Its inventor, Erno Rubik, had a passionate interest in geometry and 3-D design. When designing the first prototype, many different decorative patterns with numbers and symbols were tried, but none of them worked nearly as well as the six simple colors we see today. The 3x3x3 cube makes a great gift for school-aged children and teenagers alike. Try your hand at it, too, but be forewarned—the puzzle can be extremely addictive!

Radio Flyer® Wagon

From humble beginnings, the Radio Flyer wagon has become an American classic. For over 85 years, millions of children have launched countless voyages of their imaginations while perched upon them. Getting your first Radio Flyer has been a right of passage for countless generations.

Playmobil® Sets

In the early 1970s, a plastics factory owner in Germany set his old hula-hoop machines to work making small movable figures with accessories for children. They weren’t really a big hit in the United States until 1986, when Playmobil USA, Inc. took over the line, repackaged the toys, and displayed them in stores, allowing kids and parents to see how the various sets could be combined for endless play. Since then, classics like the 1974 Western set have been joined by themes such as the zoo and the pirate’s cove.

CLUE® The Great
Detective Game!

Was it Mrs. Scarlett in the Billiard Room with the candlestick? It’s anyone’s guess in this classic who dunnit board game invented in 1944 by Anthony E. Pratt, who described himself as “an introvert full of ruminations, speculations and imaginative notions.” It’s a great game for kids and parents to play together. CLUE is sold today in over 40 countries from Brazil to New Zealand to Abu Dhabi. In England, the game is called “CLUEDO” and in Brazil, “Detective.” The same successful formula works when translated into any language.