It is not easy to get into the US National Toy Hall of Fame. The first time Leslie Scott heard rumors her invention had been nominated she knew her chances were slim. That time, she believes, she was up against the undisputed king of imaginative childhood play: the cardboard box. This time though, 15 years on and facing less fearsome competition, the creator of Jenga has been triumphant.

On Hollywood Boulevard, Britain is represented by the handprints of great actors from Dame Helen Mirren to Colin Firth. In the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame we have the Beatles. Now, in the Toy Hall of Fame, we have Jenga. The game, which involves 54 blocks in a tower, and a steady hand, joins chess, dominoes, the ball, marbles and Monopoly in being honored by the National Museum of Play in New York.