Blockimals

Max has 4 things known as Blockimals. If you want to know, he has the 4 that are pictured on the left there. For the uninitiated a Blockimal is a block that is painted with an animal face (and sometimes body) that can be opened to reveal the same animal inside it. Like little tardis animals they can contain not only themselves but also a suitable living environment.

When Max got his first Blockimal (the yellow duck) I thought it was really cute, I also thought it was really boring. This has been one of the toys that has caused me to rethink buying toys for babies. There are a lot of things that I think are boring that absolutely fascinate Max, like a thick strip of paper from a magazine cover - he can play with that for minutes at a time. In fact he's currently occupied by wrinkling up and trying to tear a single magazine page. While earlier today a few minutes peace was bought with a purple straw from a coffee place.

The critters inside are supposedly fun. The mouse and hen squeak when you press them, the duck sproings, and the pig clicks when you twist him. Max only notices they are in there when they are convenient as handles, but then he's still below the recommend age (9 months +) so maybe in another month he'll discover something new. He does like opening and closing them. He also seems to enjoy the struggle of pulling them out of his toy bin, although I've yet to see him succeed. Still he likes these a lot more than I expected.

So I'm wondering, what other "boring" toys I should be on the lookout for. More to the point, what should Max be asking Grandma for when his first birthday comes up? Or should I just get him a magazine subscription?