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Gifting

Henry won't have toy soldiers. I won't allow them. Or guns, either. Not even water shooters. But one of his little friends gave him a game for his birthday that, I'm embarassed to say, I not only approve of -- I love playing myself.

It involves a large mallet, a small furry creature and brute force.

Not exactly a kinder, gentler preschool toy.

But oh so fun!

The game? Whac-a-Mole!

The object of the game is to score the most points by quickly, correctly smacking a mole on the head when his little hard hat lights up (see, we're not completely sadistic...the critters are allowed some sort of protection). Each mole also makes a specific noise (that changes from game to game), such as "duhhhhh." Got a rodent yelling "duh" at you...it deserves to be hit.

This game is the kiddo version of an old arcade classic invented in 1971 by a guy who went on to create the entertainment pizza chain Showbiz Pizza Place. The grown-up version is much faster paced and tougher to win.

I like Henry's new toy. Maybe more than he does. This morning he said, "Tonight, we can all play whac-a-mole." And my reaction, "Yaaaayyy!!!!" was a bit too emphatic for comfort. When he grows bored with it, I think I'll steal it away. Great stress relief.

Whac. Whac. Whac.
Duh.

Comments

Brianne said…
haha :) I LOVE that game! Well, the arcade version. I've heard of Whac-a-Mole but I've never played the kid version. It sounds like a great stress reliever!! You should bring it with you when you come down for Christmas. :)
7:26 AM
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