So many happy memories of that yellow screen

The Game Boy has entered the National Toy Hall of Fame in recognition of its incredible influence on the video game industry and its uncanny ability to keep kids quiet on long car journeys.

The Strong Museum of Play's National Toy Hall of Fame is intended to celebrate toys and playthings of all descriptions, and the Game Boy is the second video game system to have been honoured, following on from the Atari 2600.

Here's the official press release:

Admitted into the hall because of its role as a major industry innovator, Nintendo Game Boy® transformed the electronic-games market by popularizing hand-held gaming. No video-game platform did more to put gamers on the go than this invention. And go they did - bringing their gaming experience to school, to summer camp, and to the back seat of the family automobile. Over the past two decades, Game Boy has become synonymous with hand-held gaming fun. Its portability and efficient design, ability to allow simultaneous multiplayer gaming, and scores of intriguing games (like Tetris and Super Mario Land, featuring Nintendos’ already-iconic character Mario) make it a true innovator.

[source kotaku.com, via museumofplay.org]