There was a time about ten years ago when Disney's Jake and the Neverland Pirates were big favorites of my kids. They'd sing along with Jake and his animated juvenile crew as they solved puzzles, learned about friendship, and tormented poor Captain Hook. You know, wholesome family fun.
The game that was based on that show was a surprisingly challenging one. Who Shook Hook? is a three-dimensional exercise, sort of like the Mousetrap of our own youth, with a Hook figurine snoozing comfortably in a hammock suspended between palm trees. Nestled alongside him are various treasures rendered in plastic (bags of gold, chests of coin, tiki statues). Players spin the spinner and traipse about the island. When instructed, they use a specified tool (shovel, sword, fishing pole) to remove a prescribed treasure. Careful! Hook's hammock is wobbly and his perch precarious. One clumsy move and you'll spill the Captain into the drink where the original Tick Tock challenge awaits with hungry jaws. To win, gather the most treasure and, above all, don't be the one who shook Hook.
We played this with some regularity with the kids, and it never escaped me how much I sympathized with poor Hook. The guy just wanted to get a nap, and these pesky kids wouldn't leave him alone. It was a bit on the nose for parents of young children at the time. Now, I'd offer up quite a bit of my own treasure and more than a few moments of sleep for one more afternoon with my guys at that adorable age.
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