D&D is a National Toy Hall of Fame finalist!

The National Toy Hall of Fame has included Dungeons & Dragons on the slate of finalists to it's 2011 inductees--only two selections will be inducted.  The full list includes dollhouse, Dungeons & Dragons, Hot Wheels, Jenga, Pogo Stick, puppets, R/C vehicles, Rubik’s Cube, Simon, Star Wars action figures, Transformers, and Twister. As you can see, a few items are non-branded, but Hasbro came out the big winner with eight of the 12.

From the Washington Post:

Forty-six toys have earned a place in the Hall of Fame. Among them are Crayola crayons, Silly Putty, and Hasbro’s Mr. Potato Head and the Easy-Bake Oven. Toys are chosen for induction based on several criteria, including “icon status,” longevity and innovation.

John Frascotti, chief marketing officer for Hasbro, said the company was “thrilled” to have so many finalists recognized as “childhood touchstones.”

I'm not sure if this is more or less nominees than previous year's but it seems as though the game has it's work cut out for it. Here's a look at the nominating criteria:

• Icon-status: The toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered
• Longevity: The toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations
• Discovery: The toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play
• Innovation: The toy profoundly changed play or toy design. A toy may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.

I'd say based on Icon-status, Discovery, and Innovation, D&D should be inducted, but let's face it, several of the other nominees have had more staying power beyond their initial fadishness. Still, the fact that it's still around and currently remains published in a fourth edition may be enough. The other finalist I think would be worthy are Star Wars figures, which should be an easy "in" based on how they single-handedly changed the entertainment industry as a whole.

Well, it would be nice to see D&D given it's proper due. What do you think its chances are of being inducted?