The Delight of a Delightful Toy

Why didn't anyone tell me that the best part of motherhood was getting to play with toys again as if it were my job, huh?

Granted, not all toys are created equal: some toys are nothing but an excess of plastic and a dearth of imagination, coated with a delightful sheen of leaded, toxic paint.  But some toys are truly --dare I say it?-- delightful.

They delight.  They make smiles wide and spirits soar.

So when I was contacted by Mom Central to try out a couple of toys from Bloom by Cranium --they who make the very fun toys for adults-- for a blog tour, I jumped at the chance to get toys (TOYS!) delivered to my house; toys that might possibly delight and entertain.  And keep the kid entertained for a few precious minutes of rest at a time.

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We received our happy little cargo two days before Christmas, and I must say that Herr Meow was elated to be able to open one of the many boxes that kept arriving yet seemed off-limits to him and his insatiable curiosity.  Two games were within the box: a puzzle called "Let's Go to the Zoo" and a board game titled "Let's Play Count & Cook."

Right off the bat, several things were obvious:

1. Herr Meow is like a chocoholic, but for puzzles.  He will not be contained whenever exposed to a jigsaw pattern, wriggling free of my grasp and trying to put pieces together and shaking his head to himself whenever the match is thoroughly ludicrous, laughing and saying, "NoooOooooooOoOoooooo!"

2. While both toys claim that they are designed for children ages three and over, no obstinate two-year old shall be denied a rollicking good time, even if that good time consists of tossing the dice and trying to identify the number, or of snatching the board game pieces and lining them up at whim.

Upon further analysis and playtime, one thing became clear: the puzzle was a great, great toy and a great fit for my child:

• The puzzle-making part was fun and easy enough to manipulate with small hands and fingers, yet there was a level of challenge and matching that kept the baby engaged for repeated occasions.  Or rather, still keeps him in thrall.  Did I mention that puzzles=baby drug?
• Once the puzzle is assembled and the zoo scene is revealed, it's fun to play with the cards provided to search for certain items-- an I Spy game!  It's like peekaboo, only that Herr Meow gets to say cute things like, "Wheah is it?" and "Whazzzzat?" and "Deah ee is!" and "ah-ee!!!"
• You can skip the cards enclosed altogether and just ask questions about the puzzle, and even make up weird stuff about what is going on.  Trust me-- the illustration is complex enough that it's rather easy to let your imagination fly.  And then you can always make up R-rated stuff ("the zookeeper actually looks like a total tweaker" for instance) that will go right over your precious child's head, who is busy pointing at the puzzle and saying "PINK!" over and over.  And over and over.
• Apparently it's also equally fun to grab at the puzzle randomly and mess up the pieces.

The boardgame was quite fun because of its vibrant pictures, but the game proper is going to have to wait a little longer, alas-- pushing the pieces forward even in a linear fashion does seem to require the maturity of someone who is closer to three.

Thank you to Mom Central for letting us play!  The games were well-received and a total blast!