Mar 10
Ok, so what is a Catchball? Simply, a plastic ball with two pieces of elastic coming out of each side. And what do you do with it? Well the real reason it was made was to try and catch it in the opposite hand you released it from, however put it in a room full of adults who've been bowling and drinking, and you might be forgiven for having another idea.
I took this little toy along to the London Raiders monthly bowling league to get a real idea from a mixed crowd as to its use. It certainly got people interested, and there was also a good range of performance levels. A few clever people got it straight away, others struggled but got there in the end, and some just got frustrated and gave up.
I seemed to find that the easiest time to catch the Catchball was when someone distracted me in the middle of trying it out, I looked over to talk to someone and realised I'd caught the ball. It seems if you try and catch it, your reactions aren't quick enough, whereas if you don't think about it, or if you try to close your hand a second earlier, it is easier to catch.
Whilst this toy provided a short burst of entertainment, once mastered, it quickly lost its intrigue, and this is
where the alternative use ideas started flowing out of these somewhat filthy minded, slightly intoxicated
"adults". A mouth gag, yes, you heard me right(!) - it will have a longer shelve life I've no doubt in this
capacity! The other use was a cat toy. The plastic ball is colourful, and on elastic - cat heaven! Unfortunately there
weren't any cats in the bowling alley so I wasn't able to test this theory but having had a cat myself, I'm sure this
would be great fun hung from a height!
This toy would be good at a children's birthday party to keep unruly kids at bay, and would make a good alternative game to pass the parcel or musical chairs. For adults, well the reviews ranged from interesting and fun, to a complete waste of time.
Would I buy one, probably for such an event, just to see the reactions, but not as a serious purchase.
5/10 as I think it would end up in the bottom of a drawer or cupboard within a few days of buying... which is where my one is already
RRP: £3.99 and available from www.catchball.co.uk