Care Bears, Transformers among Toy Hall of Fame finalists

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) – The Fisher-Price Little People and Care Bears will square off against Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots and Transformers for a place in the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Whether any or all make it will be announced Nov. 10.

The hall revealed 12 finalists for the class of 2016 on Tuesday at The Strong museum. The list also includes Nerf foam balls, the board game Clue, the card game Uno, pinball, the swing, Dungeons & Dragons and coloring books.

Bubble wrap rounds out the list. If selected, it would join the cardboard box and stick among unconventional honorees.

To be recognized by the hall, toys must have lasted across generations, influenced the way toys are designed or played with and fostered learning or creativity through play.

Anyone can nominate a toy, and the hall receives thousands of suggestions email every year. Final selections are made on the advice of historians, educators and other experts.

Last year, the parlor game Twister, the puppet and Super Soaker squirt gun were honored.

About this year’s finalists:

– Bubble Wrap. Created by accident in 1957 by two engineers who were attempting to develop a new kind of wallpaper.

– Care Bears. Began as a line of greeting cards in the early 1980s but evolved into a brand whose bears star in storybooks, television shows and games.

– Coloring Book. New York printer McLoughlin Brothers is credited with inventing the books that have enjoyed renewed popularity lately thanks to adult-oriented versions featuring complex designs.

– Clue. The game that invites players to solve a murder remains a best-seller nearly 70 years after its release.

– Dungeons & Dragons. The 1970s role-playing game featuring imaginary worlds of magic and monsters influenced today’s computer game industry.

– Fisher-Price Little People. A wooden version first rode the Safety School Bus in 1959. The brightly painted figures were given arms and legs in the 1990s.

– Nerf. The foam balls safe enough to throw indoors were first produced in the 1960s.

– Pinball. The machines have long been a mainstay at bars, amusement parks and arcades, with players using flippers to launch steel balls through mazes.

– Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Competitors throw mechanical punches in an effort to knock the block off of their opponent’s boxer.

– Swing. Found in ancient cave drawings in Europe and ceramic vases from Greece – and in playgrounds and backyards everywhere.

– Transformers. Hasbro’s shape-changing action figures are featured in comic books, games, breakfast cereal and movies, the latest of which is due out in June.

– Uno. The 1971 game where players dispose of the cards in their hands has sold steadily for more than four decades.