The National Toy Hall of Fame Has Voted in Hot Wheels, Dollhouses, and the Blanket?

The National Toy Hall of Fame just announced the 2011 class, and the three toys joining the ranks are Hot Wheels, dollhouses . . . and the blanket?

Okay, I’m down with the first two. Generations of boys have loved Hot Wheels, me included. And generations of girls have loved dollhouses. But is a blanket even really a toy? The Hall justifies its selection like this:

"In imaginative play and make-believe, kids have discovered the many playful uses for the blanket. It fills in for a king’s robe, a bride’s veil, a superhero’s cape, a Roman soldier’s cloak, a princess’s flowing gown, and a wizard’s flying carpet. Thrown over a table, it forms a tent; draped around two chairs, it becomes a fort; on top of the carpet, it serves as a safe island surrounded by sea monsters. And in tug-of-war, the blanket gets top billing. It is also suitable for tossing toys in the air or for parachuting them back to earth."

Okay, point made. I remember my blanket Superman capes of the past. Or maybe it was a towel. Either way, point made. The Toy Hall of Fame has inducted "basic" things like the blanket in the past. In 2008, they inducted the stick, and in 2005 they inducted the cardboard box. Ah, yes, the cardboard box. Good times.

JUST ASKING: What was your favorite toy when you were growing up?