Toy Hall of Fame inducts Uno, Magic 8 Ball and pinball

(UPI) The Strong National Museum of Play announced the Magic 8 Ball, card game Uno and pinball are this year's inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame.

The museum said the Magic 8 Ball, Uno and pinball were chosen from a field of finalists that also included American Girl Dolls, chalk, Chutes and Ladders, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Masters of the Universe, sled, tic-tac-toe, Tickle Me Elmo, and Tudor Electric Football.

Magic 8 Ball, introduced in 1946, features a fortune-telling experience with one of 20 answers to questions appearing at the bottom of the ball.

"Millions of people have purchased a Magic 8 Ball in the last seven decades, and its wide appeal and quirky nature have helped it maintain popularity. According to some surveys, it's one of the top 20 most popular toys of the 20th-century," museum curator Michelle Parnett-Dwyer said. The 'Outlook is Good' for Magic 8 Ball!

Uno was invented by Ohio barbershop owner Merle Robbins, who produced 5,000 decks of the crazy eights-like game and pitched them around the country before selling the rights to a manufacturer.

"Uno continues to be a top-selling game, and it owes its success to its variability of play, fast pacing, and its wide age appeal. When it comes to family friendly fun, it's hard to beat Uno," curator Nicolas Ricketts said.

Pinball was developed in 1931, inspired by an 18th-century French table game called bagatelle. The game has added numerous features over the decades and has famously partnered with brands including Star Wars, Game of Thrones and Indiana Jones for custom games.

"Pinball has been enjoying a renewed interest as a new generation of digital natives discovers the fast-paced, kinetic game play that's easy to learn but tough to master. Pinball has also taken on new life in mobile friendly versions," chief curator Christopher Bensch said.