So what is it about The Princess and the Pea that inspires the creation of board games? Unless they are Disney related, no other tale has a board game resume like Princess and the Pea, not even Cinderella. At least not that I've discovered...
So, yes, there are TWO board games for children inspired directly by Princess and the Pea, quite different and I'm not sure which one is more fun. I don't own and haven't played either, but the reviews are overall favorable for both, although they are most recommended for the under five-years-old set. I just know I would have adored the games as a child and am still charmed by them decades later.
The first, Princess and the Pea Board Game, is more of a traditional board game where you add mattresses to your own bed as you move along the board.
Just like Hans Christian Anderson's beloved fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea," the prince is searching for a real princess. In this game you move your bed along the board adding mattresses to it as you go. To win you need to build the highest bed and reach the special "crown" space! Are you the real princess?
The second game, Sleepy Princess and the Pea, appears to be more of a variation on Jenga where all players build the one bed with mattresses and try not to let it topple over.
Is she really a princess? the queen asks herself as she makes a tricky challenge to test the damsel. You are the queen's eager helpers and you must prepare the bed for the little princess. You have to be careful and skillful as the queen wants her to sleep on a wobbly pile of mattresses. Together you try to help the princess with the stacking of the mattresses. This game includes 2 fairy tale games of skill for 2 - 4 players ages 3-12 with the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea" a story to read again and again.
So both games have used the same theme but differently. Both are also well-reviewed and recommended by parenting groups. Note that neither are Disney princess games either. Impressive.
A semi-fairytale-related game I love is called Sleeping Queens. It's supposed to be geared towards children learning simple math skills, but the competition, strategy, and chance for a bit of treachery made it a crazy competitive favorite in college. You start out with all the queen cards "asleep" and your goal is to wake them all up while holding the queens worth the highest points. You can steal queens from other players using knight cards or put them back to sleep using potion cards, and thwart the attempts of others using dragon and magic wand cards. Such a fun game and the graphics are richly colored and whimsical.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what it is about 'The Princess and the Pea," period. It's not one of my HCA favorites (but then again,I love "The Girl Who Trod on the Loaf").Having said that,I must also say that the games DO look like fun.
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