Baby Nancy, Strong Museum National Toy Hall of Fame Finalist!

2020 National Toy Hall of Fame finalist article, "Yahtzee, Baby Nancy, My Little Pony up for honor," in a photo by Virginia.

One of my blog readers emailed images of an Associated Press article published on Sunday, September 13, 2020, in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about the 2020 National Toy Hall of Fame finalists. One of the 12 finalists is Shindana's first doll, Baby Nancy! I was very excited to know that Shinanda's first doll has been honored in such a manner. Whether she wins or not, it is important the little doll that started Shindana Toys is recognized.

I contacted The Strong National Museum of Play, the sponsor of this hall of fame, to get clarification on why the 1969 version of Baby Nancy was nominated instead of the 1968 version. (The 1968 doll is actually the first Baby Nancy by Shindana.) Michelle Parnett-Dwyer, curator at The Strong, explained, "We do not have an original version of Baby Nancy in the collection. When we knew Baby Nancy was a finalist we looked for an original and found only one available. Unfortunately, that fell through shortly before the announcement. We’d be grateful for any help you could provide us with acquiring an original." I could not offer any leads other than eBay's auction site. If you have an original Baby Nancy that you would like to donate to the museum please visit their Donate to the Collections page for details.

From the same article is a quote about the finalists.

According to The Richmond Times-Dispatch article, which quotes Christopher Bensch, vice-president of collections,  "These 12 toys represent the wide scope of playthings -- from simple sidewalk chalk that has its roots in ancient times, to Baby Nancy, which proved a turning point in the representation of race in dolls..."

The 12 finalists and a brief description are included in this photo taken by Virginia of the Richmond Times-Dispatch article. 

Unfortunately, I was not aware of Baby Nancy's inductee honor until voting on the finalists concluded on September 16, 2020. The final inductees will be announced on Thursday, November 5, 2020. 

I must once again express how super excited I am that Baby Nancy was inducted and became a finalist.  Thank you again, Virginia, for the newspaper notification.

Related Links

Baby Nancy, Shindana's First Doll

 

Press Release, Finalists

National Toy Hall of Fame Past Inducted Toys

MIBDH: The Shindana Story and One of Its Main Characters

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