Children's Museum Reveals Toy Voted No. 1 of Past Century

In the end, it was the Real American Hero who took home the gold medal, as it were, in the Children’s Museum’s interactive project, “Top 100 Toys (& their Stories) that Define Our Childhood.” Voters cast more than 24,000 nods online, and G.I. Joe was named the No. 1 favorite toy of the past 100 years. It seems children of the 1980s rocked the vote in full force, as Transformers landed in the No. 2 slot, followed by LEGO sets in third place. The iconic Cabbage Patch Kids proved to be underdogs, snagging the seventh spot, and Indiana native Raggedy Ann finished just outside the Top 10 at No. 11. Here’s the full Top 20 roster.

Despite the fact that Barbie has had more than 130 careers in her lifetime and was leading the poll back in July when we first reported on the contest, she didn’t make it to the metaphorical metal stand, sliding to fourth. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that G.I. Joe and Transformers both have had major live-action films produced in the past few years. It seems Miss Roberts should make her next career move a trip to Hollywood.

The Top 20 toys and a few voter-submitted stories about their experiences with the beloved playthings are now on display in the museum through the end of 2012.

Photos courtesy Children’s Museum of Indianapolis