We’ve all felt it. That day when the sun is shining, you crave fun and excitement but work deadlines are looming and the expectation to be responsible and ‘adult’ takes over. Thoughts run through your head like “I really don’t want to adult today”, “Can I just have some fun?”, and suddenly your drawn to the kids toys and you are envying your three-year-old as you drop them off for a day at nursery.
You’re not alone in this. Even celebrities like David Beckham and Brad Pitt both love cracking out the Lego bricks. So it’s time to take back your right to play.
This week Farah Jarral explored the topic of adult play and asked the crucial question “Is it more acceptable for adults to play now?” on BBC Radio Four. Here at TellTails us Tailers, like Farah, think yes is the answer. Why should all the little humans have the fun when us big creatures need a chance to let go too?
It seems we have all become afraid to just have fun and express ourselves through fueling our imaginations and embracing silliness. As leading experts talk about in the show, we have lost our liberty to play regardless of the fact this is where humans are at their most creative. After going through a ‘blip’ in our history, play is making a comeback in modern adult life. It’s time to embrace the change! Here are some of our ideas to ignite your imagination and get playful.
Adult Ball Pits
How many times have you watched your kids run off into the children’s play area, jump into the ball bit and had that little tinge of jealousy? Don’t lie now, we all know that you have felt it. Well guess what? Now there are several adult only ball pits springing up in major cities like Manchester, Birmingham and London.
Ballie Ballerson in London is a ball pit that glows in the dark. How awesome is that! Time to embrace the joy of jumping around and pelting each other with balls once more.
You Me Bum Bum Train
So how long has it been since you immersed yourself in a make-believe world? It’s probably about time you did and immersive theatre is the best way to do so. You Me Bum Bum Train is a theatre company which acts with the upmost secrecy, how exciting is that! Your emailed with a time and the venue and then turn up and start your new adventure. You’ll spend your time becoming part of the experience and letting go, but that’s all we can say because when your part of a You Me Bum Bum Train production, you keep it secret!
Secret Cinema
Like You Me Bum Bum Train productions secret cinema is a great way to get involved in another world. As kids we are so happy to dress up as someone else and take on an exciting new identity but somehow this gets lost in adult life. The need to be serious takes over. It’s time to get involved in dressing up again and the rise of secret cinema has given us this. Nothing is more exciting than going on an adventure to a themed location, dressed up to fit into the fantasy, and ready to immerse yourself in the world of a film.
Cosplay
While we are on the theme of dressing up don’t rule out expos and cosplay events. The activities that exist of dressing up as a character from a film, book, or video game and taking over their persona are brilliant fun. If you have never experienced it before, it’s great fun to embrace your ‘inner geek’ and give it a go. Of course, on a cheeky note, TellTails make great accessories for many anime and character costumes!
Get Waggling
Of course, there is one sure way for you to start embracing your inner playful side. Getting your waggle on with a TellTail is a sure way to ignite your imagination, get creative and have loads of fun. It’s hard to describe the feeling of wearing a tail, it causes what we call the ‘tail effect’; a palpable feeling of joy and giddiness which manifests itself in a grin of extraordinary measure.
So what are you waiting for? Whether you are on your way to a festival, going to a party or you just fancy adding some excitement to your day there is nothing more fun than to get silly, get swooshy and get your waggle on.
We hope you have been inspired to get out there and reclaim your playful side.
If you want to find out more you can listen to Jarral’s show, The Human at Play, here at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08q79q7#play