“Rubber duckie, you’re the one,” Ernie has been singing for decades on Sesame Street. It turns out that the rubber duck is beloved by millions of real children and its status will be cemented when it gets inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Chess will be joining the rubber duck as members of the 2013 class.
The rubber duck and chess beat out a list of contenders that includes the little Green Army Men and the game Clue, reports the Associated Press. Professor Plum and Ms. Peacock must be so disappointed.
Toy Hall of Fame organizers noted that chess is considered one of the oldest games in the world, dating back to an ancient Indian game, which slowly spread through Asia and Europe. The version of the game that is played today began during the Renaissance era.
As for the rubber duck, it has been around since the 1800s and at first didn’t even float. In the 1940s, the yellow duck design was introduced and it finally began to float.
The 2012 inductees were Star Wars action figures and dominoes. Past inductees have included the blanket, Nintendo’s Game Boy, Barbie, LEGO and Mr. Potato Head.
image: Wikimedia Commons
