Precon-Making Monkey Delights Local Children
Posted on November 22, 2009
Filed Under Articles, Flashbacks, Staff | 3 Comments
Bobo, the little monkey who makes the precons.
TOWN CENTRE MALL — Some local children didn’t want to say goodbye to their new friend Monday morning. He didn’t jump rope, and he didn’t play tag. But nonetheless, little Bobo stole about two dozen little hearts outside the Town Centre Mall — and some big hearts.
Bobo is a monkey, brought to the mall Monday by his handlers at Wizards of the Coast to entertain pupils on a field trip from Woodbridge Elementary. The 6- and 7-year-olds delighted in seeing Bobo, watching him eat and observing him design a Magic: The Gathering preconstructed deck.
“Can I pet him?” asked Corrie Williams, 6. “I want to pet the little monkey that designs the precons.”
Corrie and the other children did get to pet Bobo, who they learned likes being scratched behind the ears.
Bobo entertained the children for about two hours as he clung to his handler, drank from a baby bottle and threw together a preconstructed deck with way too much land, no removal and two each of the worst of the latest Magic set’s common creatures.
Spokeswoman Tina Gaffney said that Bobo is taken on such trips because he has a lot to teach children, and adults, about caring for the environment, and about the fun of precons.
“If people could see how adorable and wonderful these animals are, they might be prompted to take a more activist role with regard to animal research or deforestation,” Gaffney said.
“Also, they might understand why a 60-card precon with two copies of Airborne Aid has only nine birds if they could just see how much fun little Bobo has throwing the cards this way and that.”
Gaffney said that the purpose of the preconstructed Magic: the Gathering decks is to support Bobo’s lifestyle. The profits from the precons pay for Bobo’s food and care.
“I realize that precons normally appeal to the newest, least knowledgeable and most vulnerable of players, who might later feel victimized for having plunked down nearly $10 for a senseless pile of cards that wouldn’t stand a chance against a 12-year-old’s Angel deck,” she said.
“But if those vulnerable players knew how much love Bobo put into randomly grabbing fistfuls of cards and shoving them together, and if they knew that the money goes to pay for the enrichment of Bobo and wonderful animals like him, then they would know that it’s money well spent.”
- Oct. 24, 2003
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This article is always relevant.
The Duel Decks have been generally playable, so one must wonder who makes those. Mark Rosewater while drunk, perhaps? No, that’s pretty much the same as the monkey.
Lol, thank you for writing this, this made me smile. With my mouth open and excessive laughter emitting from it. Pure gold, my new favourite (beating out the FNM Walkthrough and Standoff in Honolulu) Ignore my last post, by the way, it doesn’t have a proper website link.