Battleship, slime, and Trivial Pursuit inducted into National Toy Hall of Fame class of 2025
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The National Toy Hall of Fame has announced its 2025 inductees: Battleship, Slime, and Trivial Pursuit. The three classic playthings were chosen from a list of 12 finalists that also included Catan, Connect Four, cornhole, Furby, scooter, snow, Spirograph, Star Wars lightsaber, and Tickle Me Elmo.
The newly inducted toys are now on display at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, home to the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Battleship
Originally a pencil-and-paper pastime, Battleship traces its origins to two-person strategy games from the late 19th century. Commercial paper editions began appearing in the 1930s, but it was Milton Bradley’s 1967 plastic version — boosted by television advertising — that made it a household favorite. Since then, the game has sold more than 100 million copies and inspired digital adaptations and even a Hollywood movie.
“Battleship has long been a household name in the board game world,” said Curator Mirek Stolee. “Its popularity crested in 2012 when Universal Pictures and Hasbro released a movie called Battleship. The film was only very loosely based on the game, but it helped cement Battleship’s place in popular culture history.”
Slime
First introduced commercially in 1976, Slime has fascinated generations of children with its tactile, squishy appeal. It has appeared in various branded forms and become a popular do-it-yourself project, encouraging creativity and hands-on experimentation.
“Though slime continues to carry icky connotations to slugs and swamps—all part of the fun for some—the toy offers meaningful play,” said Curator Michelle Parnett-Dwyer. “Countless kids enjoy creating slime on their own or adding it as an element to play with other toys. For others, it has therapeutic benefits—offering stress relief and enhancing fine motor skills.”
Trivial Pursuit
Since its debut in 1981, Trivial Pursuit has challenged players’ knowledge across categories like geography, entertainment, history, and science. With more than 100 million copies sold by 2023, the trivia game has expanded into television, digital platforms, and daily online quizzes.
“Trivial Pursuit’s influence has spread beyond the realm of board games to game show iterations and video game adaptations,” said Stolee. “The game’s maker even offers a Trivial Pursuit online daily quiz, in the vein of other popular daily games like Wordle. Frequent updates and innovations continue to keep Trivial Pursuit relevant.”
For more information, visit museumofplay.org/exhibits/toy-hall-of-fame.
