Anytime someone promises the "all-time greatest 100" anything, you know they're going to make some enemies. As it stands, TIME's reporter did the best she could with the greatest toys of all time. She mentioned my favorite wagon (Radio Flyer), my favorite mess maker (finger paint), and my favorite stuffed animal (sock monkey).
She managed to go both general and specific, highlighting great toy brands and some creations that are good in all their market varieties. But TIME had to know when the title is aimed that high, someone was going to come a-whining. So here I am! Don't take it personally. I know you could only fit in 100. But some of the toy choices are just plain odd.
The Flatsy doll, for example, comes from the 1960s ... explaining perhaps why not one person I've asked remembers it. And I've asked a lot of people of different ages. And the Plarail Toy Train? I never heard of it personally (although others had), but my real beef is that it seems a strange choice over, say, the classic Lionel. Not to mention the Bratz dolls, who get their spot on the list, are equal parts slutty and creepy (you remove their feet to change their shoes for crying out loud!).
So in case TIME is thinking of a little adjusting, here at The Stir, we thought we'd give them a crash course in classic toys that we'll never forget that they can add to their list:
1. Candy Land
2. Big Wheel
3. Swingset
4. Atari
5. Micro Machines
6. Strawberry Shortcake
7. Twiddly sticks
8. Breyer horses
9. Trouble
10. Fisher Price record player
11. Spirograph
12. Rainbow-Brite
13. Twister
14. Sit n Spin
15. Battleship
16. Crayons
17. Scooter
18. Ping pong
19. Skateboard
20. Paper dolls
21. Roller skates
22. Lionel trains
23. Foosball table
24. Bicycle
25. Tinker toys
26. Lincoln logs
27. Kite
28. The stick
29. The cardboard box
30. The rocking horse
31. Erector set
32. Teddy bear
33. Jacks
34. Marbles
35. Alphabet Blocks
36. Deck of cards
37. Nintendo
38. The Game of Life
39. Ouija Board
40. Jigsaw puzzle
41. Jump rope
42. Hess trucks
43. Wind-ups
OK, we KNOW we missed stuff here. So help us out. What else belongs on the best toy list of all time?
Image via meddygarnet/Flickr