Photograph

A 2008 inductee in the National Toy Hall of Fame, the stick was praised for its versatility and imaginative play possibilities. Though it can, in the right hands, become a sword, a javelin, or a magic wand; it also can serve as a utilitarian play object when needed. This is the case with a home-made fishing pole. All it takes is a stick, string, and a hook and anyone can become an angler. A photograph shows a girl from about the middle of the twentieth century. She may only be playing at fishing, however, because no string is visible. But the stick is the necessary tool for this play.