We need to talk about toys.

The National Toy Hall of Fame has announced the 12 finalists for its 2026 class—and while there are some serious childhood classics on the list, there's one glaring omission.

Illegal fireworks.

Okay, technically those aren't a toy.

But if you grew up in Michigan, you know somebody's cousin, neighbor, or that one guy down the street who would like to make the case.

The 12 finalists

This year's finalists are:

• Bingo

• Bop It!

• Care Bears

• Mahjong

• Monster High dolls

• Mouse Trap

• Pokémon Trading Cards

• Polly Pocket

• The Slide

• Sorry!

• Tickle Me Elmo

• Yahtzee

Three of them will eventually be inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, with the winners announced in November.

And yes, the public gets a say.

You can vote through the Museum of Play throughout the next week. Vote in the Players' Choice ballot

But let's talk Michigan childhoods...

Sure, Bop It! was fun.

Pokémon cards? Absolutely.

Mouse Trap? A classic.

But Michigan kids had a slightly different set of priorities.

We had sleds.

Not fancy sleds, either. I'm talking about whatever piece of plastic you could find after the first major snowstorm.

We had bikes that spent the summer flying down neighborhood streets.

We had Slip 'N Slides in the backyard until somebody discovered that the grass underneath was apparently 90% mud.

And let's not forget the ultimate Michigan toy:

The empty pop bottle.

You could make a million things out of that.

Okay, maybe not a million.

But enough to keep a kid busy until Mom yelled, "Dinner!"

And if you grew up in Michigan, you probably had a plastic shovel that was technically supposed to be for the sandbox but eventually became a snow shovel, digging tool, fort-building equipment and general backyard construction device.

That's versatility.

And Tickle Me Elmo is back?!

Poor Elmo.

He was nominated last year but didn't make the cut.

Apparently, being a cultural phenomenon wasn't enough.

Maybe this is Elmo's year.

Although if we're being honest, Michigan parents might have a different memory of Tickle Me Elmo:

"That thing went off at 2 a.m. and scared the life out of me."

Last year's inductees were Battleship, Slime and Trivial Pursuit—so clearly the Hall of Fame is willing to recognize everything from board games to goo.

Which raises an important question:

How long until someone tries to get the Michigan classic "throwing snowballs at your friends" inducted?

We're just saying.

What toy deserves a spot?

That's really the fun part of this whole thing.

Because every generation has that one toy.

Maybe it was a Care Bear.

Maybe it was Polly Pocket.

Maybe it was Pokémon cards you absolutely promised yourself you were going to keep in perfect condition—until you put them in your bike spokes.

Or maybe your favorite "toy" was whatever you could find outside.

For Michigan kids, that could mean a basketball hoop in the driveway, a sled on a snowy hill, a bike on a summer evening or a cardboard box that somehow became a race car.

The finalists may be official, but we're pretty sure Michigan has its own unofficial Toy Hall of Fame.

And we're still holding out hope for illegal fireworks.

You know... for historical purposes.