Web Reviews

Coveting Cool Toys with Playgrounder

Indianapolis, IN - October 5, 2009

“Studies suggest the more stuff you acquire has little positive affect on your happiness and can, in fact, drag you down a little. Of course, most people respond to this with 'Hand me the keys to the Ferrari, please.'”

– Jim Cota

Through a series of events, I found myself engaged in a conversation with my wife about happiness. Turns out that most experts agree that true happiness– the kind that really makes a difference in your life, makes you healthier, more fun to be around, and lasts– isn’t attained by owning more stuff. In fact, there are some studies that suggest the more stuff you acquire has little positive affect on your happiness and can, in fact, drag you down a little. (And I also know the standard response to this suggestion from most people falls somewhere along the line of, “Well, I’d like to try it. Hand over the keys to the Ferrari, please.”)

True happiness, according to Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., is “not a function of what we have, but rather a function of what we appreciate. Studies show that people who regularly express and experience genuine gratitude for what they have– family, a meal, work, wealth – are happier, healthier, and more successful in the long run.” He might know, as it turns out he wrote the book on happiness. It’s called The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life.

So, while I understand all of this, I think I’m like most of you (and certainly like most men) in my appreciation of cool stuff. (I think a distinction can also be made here regarding this appreciation. Namely, I don’t need to have it all, but I certainly like knowing what’s out there to covet.)

A few months ago, I wrote about Uncrate, an oft-updated site full of all kinds on things that men need. (Ok, from this point on, feel free to substitute any sort of modifying term you prefer in place of “need.”) For example, Uncrate recently featured the Bamford Black Rolex Watch next to the Ducati Hypermotard 796. I think you’ll agree these are both things that most men clearly need.

Well, in the time since I wrote that article, an interesting thing has happened. Uncrate has collaborated to launch a new site called Playgrounder, billed as “a web magazine helping parents and kids find the very best stuff. Our team digs up the best toys, games, gear, clothes, DVDs and more.” In other words, it highlights cool stuff for kids. I should warn you, this site is an absolutely great source for gift ideas for kids of all ages, but I really don’t think you should let your kids actually see it. If you do, there’ll be no end to the “can I have that” requests.

So, as Uncrate is for adults, Playgrounder is for kids. You can simply stop by occasionally to see all the latest stuff they’ve uncovered, like the Orvis Build-a-Fort Kit or the LEGO Motorized Walking AT-AT. What’s that? Oh, the AT-AT is that huge Imperial walker that tried to squish Luke Skywalker during the Battle on Hoth.

Anyway, you can stop by to see the updates, choosing to either browse the entries in a timestamp order (like a blog), or you can select the appropriate age range to find more specific items. The age ranges are 0-2, 2-4, 5-7, 8-11, 12-15 and Grownups. If you prefer, you can also join the mailing list to have recent updates sent directly to you. Each daily mailer normally contains 3-4 products, with a photo, brief description, and links to learn more and to buy the item. Playgrounder doesn’t sell the items they highlight, so you normally count on a fairly unbiased overview of the product. Of course, they don’t feature things they don’t like, so there’s normally an upbeat tone to everything.

If social media is your thing, you can also follow the site updates on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or an RSS feed. Of course, if you find something you like, you can also use the social aggregators to share it with your circle of friends (like I did recently with the Daniels Wood Land Tree Houses. All I can say is, “Wow.”

The choice is yours, but I find the email and the website to be a nice combination that doesn’t interfere with getting things done (too much.)

If you’re looking for a unique gift idea for nearly anyone on your list, Playgrounder will help you find it. But don’t blame me if, after seeing all of the cool stuff available, you start to have second thoughts about your own childhood. Repeat after me: stuff won’t make me happy… stuff won’t make me happy…