一探孩童的體驗樂園 / Exploring a kids’ play paradise

只要是養過狗的人們，都知道狗狗常常不分晝夜地叫個不停，我們常用「汪汪」這個擬聲詞來形容犬隻的吠叫聲，據我所知，狗狗會吠叫大概是因為興奮打招呼、提醒有入侵者或是肚子餓等原因，所以，一看到汪汪隊就會直接聯想到和可愛的小狗有關，沒錯，《汪汪隊立大功》這套卡通動畫，故事圍繞著一位聰明機智的小男孩萊德（Ryder），以及他所帶領的一群各具專長的小狗救援隊，所發生的故事。

說實話，在我小時候，完全沒聽過《汪汪隊立大功》這套卡通動畫，而在我長大之後，也沒聽人提過這套卡通動畫，我是在這個特展中，才第一次了解它，不過在展場中販售的玩具，也讓我了解到它已經是個成熟的卡通小宇宙了，商品不只有角色公仔，還有吊飾、印章、學習手錶、畫冊及各式場景組等，特別是那些精緻的場景組，假如我是小孩的話，應該會想收集每一套場景組吧！

我最感到訝異的是，策展方規畫了很大一片的體驗區，讓孩子可以操作孩童尺寸的工程車，從挖土、推土到裝載，每一個動作都做得有模有樣，甚至還有簡單的任務指引，在熱鬧非凡的賽車區，孩子坐進小型車輛中，雖然速度不快，但孩子們的專注神情與加油聲，讓整個場面充滿緊張又歡樂的氛圍，孩子還可以搭上孩童尺寸的消防車去救火，整個體驗區充斥著孩子們此起彼落的笑聲與驚呼聲。

我真的覺得現在的孩子真幸福，因為他們擁有各式各樣、琳瑯滿目的玩具，例如益智拼圖、積木，到聲光效果十足的電子玩具，甚至還有結合科技的互動裝置，不過，家長們總是希望孩子們能從遊玩中學習到耐心、觀察力或社交能力等，他們在成長中應該具備的能力，不過，當我是孩子時，玩就是玩，那裏會學習甚麼呢？

Anyone who’s ever had a dog knows they can bark nonstop, day or night. We usually describe their barking with the sound “woof woof”. From what I understand, dogs bark for all kinds of reasons, like getting excited to greet someone, warning about strangers, or just being hungry. When you hear the name PAW Patrol, it’s pretty natural to think of cute little dogs. And yeah, that’s exactly what it’s about a smart kid named Ryder leading a team of pups with different skills, going on rescue missions together.

Honestly, I had never even heard of PAW Patrol when I was a kid. Even growing up, I don’t remember anyone talking about it. It wasn’t until I visited this exhibition that I learned about it for the first time. Anyway, just looking at all the merchandise there, I could tell it’s already a huge franchise. There were character figures, keychains, stamps, learning watches, coloring books, and all kinds of playsets. Those detailed playsets especially caught my eye. If I were a kid, I’d probably want to collect every single one.

What really surprised me was the massive interactive area they set up. Kids could actually operate child-sized construction vehicles, like digging, pushing, and loading, and children could felt pretty realistic. There were even simple missions to guide them. In the racing zone, kids hopped into small cars. Even though the speed wasn’t fast, their focused expressions and the cheering around them made it feel super exciting. They could also ride on a mini fire truck and pretend to put out fires. The whole area was filled with laughter and excited shouts from the kids.

Honestly, I feel like kids these days are really lucky. They have access to all kinds of toys, from puzzles and building blocks to high-tech electronic toys with lights and sounds, and even interactive installations that combine technology. Of course, parents always hope their kids can learn something while playing, like patience, observation skills, or social interaction. But back when I was a kid, playing was just… playing. Learning? That wasn’t really on my mind at all.

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