AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Toys like Transformers, My Little Pony horses, Fisher-Price's Corn Popper, pogo sticks, and Pez dispensers are loved by countless kids across the country, but they've tragically never made it into the Toy Hall of Fame. Christopher Bensch is the chief curator at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., and helps to oversee the induction process.
CHRISTOPHER BENSCH: They are kind of the always a bridesmaid, never a bride kind of toys that have gotten overlooked.
RASCOE: But this year, fans of any of the toys in the forgotten five will have the opportunity to correct this injustice and vote for their favorite in a special contest open to the public. Bensch says it's anyone's guess which toy could win.
(SOUNDBITE OF CORN POPPER POPPING)
RASCOE: One of the contestants may face an uphill battle with older voters.
BENSCH: I think of the Fisher-Price Corn Popper as a toy that is perhaps more successful with kids than with their parents, who may get really irritated by the toddler making that pop, pop, pop, pop sound.
(SOUNDBITE OF CORN POPPER POPPING)
RASCOE: While My Little Pony and Transformers have never managed to gain enough traction in past elections.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) My Little Pony, My Little Pony...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Transformers...
BENSCH: They have been just on the cusp of getting in. So they are the ones that have maybe been most jilted at the altar.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Decepticons, Transformers...
RASCOE: The contest ends on October 24. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
