A Box Full of Possibilities

And the winner of the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2005 is...the cardboard box:

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Forget the fancy toy: The box it comes in can be much more fun.

A toy house made of cardboard box is front and center at the National Toy Hall of Fame, at Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y.

"I think every adult has had that disillusioning experience of picking what they think is a wonderful toy for a child, and then finding the kid playing with the box," said Christopher Bensch, chief curator of the Strong Museum. "It's that empty box full of possibilities that the kids can sense and the adults don't always see."

Ain't that the truth.

I remember giving my goddaughter a giant teddy bear when she was a toddler; she was more excited about the box than the gift, becasue she thought the box was the gift when she managed to unwrap it. I helped open the box to show her the real gift was inside, but she just stared at the bear for a minute then turned her rapt attention back to the box.

She was tickled pink with that box. She turned it upside down and hid under it, crying when her mom took her out. She dumped her favorite pillow and blankie inside and jumped in like it was a crib. She squealed with delight when she sat in it and was pushed across the floor like a sled.

Oh well, at least she enjoyed the box.

Looking at the National Toy Hall of Fame list, I see the toys that made up my childhood. I wasn't much into Barbies growing up. Crayons, jacks, the View Master, Etch a Sketch, Monopoly, Scrabble and the bicycle were more my kind of thing.

Check it out. Which were your favorites growing up?

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