Pete's Expert Summary
My human seems to have acquired a box of tiny, colorful plastic fragments. The brand, LEGO, is one I know well; their products are the sworn enemy of bare human feet in the dark, a fact that provides me with no end of private amusement. From what I can gather, the intention is for my staff to painstakingly click these bits together to form a heart-shaped... decoration. A "celebration of love," the box claims. While the final, static wall-hanging will be of no interest to me unless it happens to block a particularly annoying sunbeam, the process is what holds a flicker of potential. The sheer number of small, skitter-friendly pieces means the probability of one escaping its handler is high. A liberated LEGO brick is a thing of beauty—a perfect, lightweight puck for a game of under-the-sofa hockey. So, while the end product is a waste of vertical space, the journey there might offer some fleeting entertainment.
Key Features
- A celebration of love – Older kids with a passion for meaningful interior design can customize a LEGO Heart Ornament (40638) building toy to hang in a window or on a wall or door, or to give to someone they love
- Highly customizable – The heart shaped arrangement of artificial flowers can be decorated with the included bricks for Valentine’s Day or other seasonal holidays. 2 inspirational images are included to spark kids’ creativity as they build
- Measurements – The unique arts & crafts activity for kids measures over 7 in. (19 cm) high and 7.5 in. (20 cm) wide, and is a creative gift for Valentine’s Day, Father's or Mother’s Day, Woman's Day, Christmas or any other time
A Tale from Pete the Cat
The ritual began on the coffee table, a space I had generously allowed the human to borrow between my naps. A box was opened, and a rattling cascade of colorful plastic bits spilled out, a dragon's hoard of offensively bright plastic. The human, with the sort of intense focus they usually reserve for trying to decipher the chirps of the birds outside the window, began consulting a paper scroll of arcane symbols. They were building something. An offering, perhaps? A shrine to the Great Can Opener in the Sky? I observed from the arm of the sofa, my gray form a study in elegant indifference, only the tip of my tail betraying my analytical curiosity. Click. Snap. The air filled with the quiet, methodical sounds of assembly. The human’s clumsy fingers pieced together the fragments, forming a flat, heart-shaped grid. Then came the decoration. They would place a small, pink brick, tilt their head, frown, and then replace it with a yellow one. This went on for what felt like an eternity. It was a bizarre form of meditation, a pointless exercise in indecision. Were they trying to divine the future from the patterns? I yawned, a deliberate, theatrical display of boredom. As I stretched, my paw “accidentally” swept a single, lime-green piece from the table. It landed on the hardwood with a satisfying *clink* and I watched, transfixed, as the human scrambled for it on their hands and knees, muttering under their breath. The process, I decided, was far more engaging than the product. Eventually, the mosaic was complete. A heart, studded with what I suppose were meant to be flowers. My human held it up, beaming with a pride wholly disproportionate to the task of snapping together pre-fabricated plastic. They attached a small loop of string—a pathetic, non-bouncy string, I might add—and proceeded to hang their creation on the wall. There it hung, lifeless and still. It did not swing, it did not flutter, it did not present any sort of challenge whatsoever. It was an inert symbol, a monument to a squandered afternoon. My gaze drifted from the wall-mounted trinket back to the floor. The human had missed one. A tiny, red, cheese-slope-shaped piece lay half-hidden by the rug's edge. I padded over silently, my tuxedo front immaculate. With a delicate tap, I sent it skittering into the darkness beneath the entertainment center. The heart on the wall was a failure, a boring piece of static art. But this tiny, liberated brick? This was a promise. A promise of a midnight hunt, a silent game played in the shadows long after the human was asleep. The toy is a bore, but its shrapnel is divine.
