Tag: holiday of play

Flipped Out…
This year’s “HoliDay of PLAY” event, sponsored by Woman’s Day Magazine and Toy Insider, offered a great opportunity to discover some new toys to report on. One particular line, Jazwares’ Flick-To-Stick Bungees, drew my attention immediately for it’s miniature game pieces and turned out to be more than met the eye.

In their cartoon universe the various Bungee characters attempt death defying acrobatic feats to capture their appointed discs. Here in the real world Bungees are collectible game pieces that mesh some tried and true modes of play from marbles to Pokemon with escalating competitive possibilities. At it’s simplest, contestants attempt to gain the highest number of points by flicking their magnetic bottomed Bungees onto metal discs. Players are rewarded with the highest points for landing on their own character disc, but points can be gained by landing on other crew members’ discs too. That said, several crews don’t play well together and in advanced scoring mode you can lose points for landing on non-compatible discs.

You Know My Name, Look Up the Number…
Each Bungee character comes with a corresponding metallic disc, basic gaming rules, and card that delineates their name, crew affiliation, attitude, point hierarchy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the cards are not just ephemera but are magnetic as well and can be integrated into the game play. A very nice touch. Advanced games use a point system listed on the back of each disc.

One of nicest things about the Bungees universe is a pretty much unlimited selection of ways to play. Game “fields” can be purchased or invented. The Master Arena Set is Jazwares’ ultimate multi-player tournament site. It includes ramps, a clear surround, and a set of flippers to attempt to eject your opponents. Alternately, a set-up of makeshift obstacles like empty coffee cans, cardboard boxes, and stretched rubber-bands for bumpers could offer as interesting a challenge on that disused ping-pong table in your recreation room.

Bouncing Souls…
Though flicking skills will aid your chances of landing on your chosen target, the inherent randomness of which way a bungee will bounce or rebound keeps gameplay unpredictable and entertaining. Speaking of skills, kids will need to get their math heads in gear as score keeping will be done the good old fashioned way, with a pencil and your brain.

Travel is as easy as flipping several bungees and their related discs and cards in a zip lock bag. No electricity required. A nice respite from screen only competition.

SkeletonPete Says…
As an “only” I was always looking for games that didn’t necessarily require group play. Bungees offer the opportunity for single-player “woodshedding” sessions to build skills between group matches with just enough unexpected outcome to stay engrossing but not frustrating.