Stuff I Like: Bananagrams

My best friend is an old school gamer. She loves games. You know, board games of the Pictionary and Trivial Pursuit variety. She coerces me into playing occaisionally, and I have found that once I get going I remember what fun they can be. But at our house the thought of hauling out a board game and rallying the troops usually sounds like one step too many by the time evening rolls around. The mere suggestion always provokes groans and protests. Forced fun. Mom trying too hard.

But then my friend sent us the game Bananagrams. My daughter liked the little yellow canvas banana-shaped case, even though she felt sure it was nothing more than a clever recepticle for Scrabble, a game I can get no one around here to play.

And Bananagrams is somewhat like Scrabble in that it is premised on making words with letter tiles. But the similarities end there. In Bananagrams each player makes their own word grid, going up or down, side to side. Even words spelled backwards count. You can substitute letters, switch things out as you go, and even scrap your whole puzzle to start again if you think it will help (and it sometimes does!).

I can’t explain why it is more fun, but the consensus at my house is that it is. It is fast. It is silly and it is portable. We killed time in an airport recently playing bananagrams. I believe that the other passengers-in-wait were jealous.

You can pick this game up at Target, among other places, and it makes a great emergency birthday gift. I love how surprised one of my son's friends was when he realized the huge kick you could get from a game that does not have a joystick. Imagine!