Videogame console joins toy "Hall of Fame"
The Atari 2600 videogame console, which recently turned 30 years-old, has been inducted into the Strong National Museum of Play's toy "Hall of Fame."
The Atari 2600 videogame console, which recently turned 30 years-old, has been inducted into the Strong National Museum of Play's toy "Hall of Fame."
While not the first home videogame console, it quickly became the most popular when it was released in 1977.
It is the first electronic "toy" to be inducted, joining such classics as the Etc-a-sketch, Frisbee, Barbie, Mr. Potato Head, Play-Doh, the yo yo, jigsaw puzzles, the hula hoop, and Legos.
"It may look primitive compared to the advanced video game systems available today, but it helped make these possible," said the museum's curator, Patricia Hogan.
The Atari 2600 was inducted along with Raggedy Andy (brother of the Raggedy Ann doll, who was inducted five years ago), and the kite.
While the videogame system is the most recently invented member of the hall, the kite - believed to have originated in China almost 3,000 years ago - is probably the oldest.