Building a Better Mousetrap

Several Christmas mornings of my childhood saw a repeat present--the Ideal Toy company's MOUSETRAP. I was fascinated by the Rube Goldberg-esque game with the shiny silver ball that seemed to careen out of control, traveling down blue plastic stairs, through oddly-angled hoops, and inside bathtubs with the ultimate object of trapping the mouse underneath the plastic net. The timing and precision of the simple tasks that would lead to the end of the mouse's freedom left me breathless. Unfortunately, as is the way with some children's toys (even or especially on Christmas morning), my Mousetrap game never lasted out the day. I believe that my grandfather, in his zeal to help and possibly shield what might be his own enthrallment with the game...umm, how do I say this? He broke it. His large hands could never quite manage the small, delicate plastic replicas and somehow turned them into useless, broken game pieces.

My Mousetrap failures are at the forefront of my mind today because my You Tube recommendations posted this:

This video renews the wonderment of my childhood and all those Christmas mornings where I crossed my fingers that this would be the year I'd get through St. Stephen's Day (Dec. 26) without having to give up my Mousetrap game to the Island of Misfit toys. Mostly, it's just cool and I thought it would be nice to share.