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FOR KIDS
Instrument of Repression or Fulfillment of Basic Need?
40 years ago Bruno Bettelheim’s psychoanalytical take on the importance of fairytales in child development was published in German. He boldly claimed in 1977 that “children need fairytales”, at a time when these stories were sus- pected of being instruments of bourgeois repression. Bettelheim’s fairytale interpretations are still highly relevant in this millennium. Going beyond mere interpretation, he finds parallels with important occurrences in child develop- ment and helps us understand a child’s inner life. While the author only focused on the books of the Brothers Grimm, their themes have also become widely used for games in recent years. An ongoing trend, it seems.
of their own, as well as 11 special trees where wolf, hunter, and companions are hiding.
The children then take turns searching by turning around trees. Players should memorize the position of the blanks as well as their own empty fir trees. The sign- posts help indirectly, the hunter directly in prompting them to continue the search. The wolf, just like in the original fairytale, is a real nuisance; he bares his teeth and makes players give up a basket voluntarily.
For three detected baskets, grand- mother rewards a coin. After which the trees are returned to the forest, because only the second coin determines the winner.
Just like with Verfuxt (see sb 4/2017), the Swiss publisher Game Factory man- ages to deliver a fresh idea with creative materials. The lack of a game board lends the game a certain flair, for it recreates a “real” forest with its confusing chaos of muddled-up firs. This memory game with an integrated element of luck also requires the kids to show a poker face when they comment on their tree turn- ing. Parents will be more than happy to accompany their kids on this forest walk with wolves and hunters.
Das Rotkäppchen-Duell
Arno Steinwender and Christoph Reiser make Little Red Riding Hood a duel. Not necessarily one between the little girl and the wolf, but between two players on the hunt for granny’s picnic baskets.
Das Rotkäppchen Duell ties in with Sagaland and its trees as hiding places.
But this time the objects are hidden behind instead of underneath the trees. Each child receives 15 fir trees, with their rear pointing to the owner depicting baskets, signposts, hunters, wolves, or a blank. The two players take turns to build a beautiful cardboard forest, initially with a view on 19 normal trees, including four
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The Pied Piper
Purple Brain Creations continues its sophisticated fairytale game series started in 2016. The children
should already be in elementary school if they want to deal with The Pied Piper.
A small pack of wooden rats is in the box, and every inhabitant of Hamelin becomes proud owner of a beautiful, tim- ber-framed house. Very narrow and more
than six stories high, these buildings are stringed around the marketplace and occupied by rat catchers and rats. The latter can be told apart by their tail color.
Agnès Largeaud’s rat infestation is managed with different cards. Four rat cards, which might also include the catcher, form a base to which the action cards are attached. As soon as two cards
are put down, they determine the direc- tion and range of movement for the pawns. Special cards will lead the rats through the sewers and tie the movement of the rat catcher to one animal.
And what’s the point here? With every rat movement in a house its inhabitants get angrier, indicated by a rat marker. Once anger hits the roof, not only the chil-
Das Rotkäppchen-Duell (Game Factory) by Arno Steinwender and Christoph Reiser; for 2 children, about 5+ years; duration: about 10 minutes; price: about 15 €.
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