For his twelfth birthday Link wanted “something Linkish” as in “something like the Legend of Zelda games”. He decided that fighting cardboard monsters in the back yard would be a good choice. At first I was a bit daunted by this challenge as I pictured us constructing elaborate monsters which would then be attached to poles, or something. But then I realized a much simpler plan would suffice.
We began with these boxes, of which I have many laying around. We bought prizes and treats to put inside the boxes, but then I pictured the fate of those goodies once they had been battered around inside a box.
Instead, I put a ball inside each box. The ball became the heart of the beast. Each guest could gain a treat bag by bringing me the heart of their monster.
The party guests were each given a box and some markers and they got creative.
Each guest was issued a sword from the armory.
Then they all departed into the back yard and the pummeling began. I can’t think of a happier activity for four 12 year old boys (and one 14 year old girl, and one 8 year old girl, and one 6 year old boy.) than to be given permission to pummel boxes into utter destruction.
They were victorious.
And there were treasures.
A good time was had by all.