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Bill suggested I rig up sound and lights so that my nose actually lit up and buzzed at the appropriate moments. Once it was in his head, he took it as a challenge. So we split up. Jolene and I went to Home Depot, Bill headed to Radio Shack. Let me just add here, that if you’re using Home Depot and Radio Shack to buy Halloween costumes, it’s probably a sign you have larger issues. But I digress… |
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Operation is a great game. It teaches kids hand / eye coordination as well as the extreme anxiety and nerve-rattling paranoia that comes with being a real doctor. Plus it lights up and makes cool sounds. It has it all. So when Jolene told me she wanted to be a Scrabble board for Halloween this year, this would be the perfect costume to compliment hers. |
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Similar to Rob Cockerham’s Sudoku costume, this would be a flat, 2-dimensional affair. However, instead of using corrugated plastic or cardboard, I went with lauan (pronounced loo-on), which is a lightweight plywood, similar to balsa wood. Not to be confused with Luann, the angst-ridden teen comic strip character. |
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First step: measure and cut out holes for our heads. We had thought about making sandwich boards out of the lauan, but that would create problems with walking and sitting, and would look like we’re merely wearing the boards, not being the boards. It’s a subtle distinction, but an important one. |
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Scrabble also got arm holes, so Jolene would not be trapped behind her costume all night. Operation would be narrow enough for me to reach round if I needed it |
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An hour later, I had started on drawing out the Operation patient (named “Cavity Sam,” according to Milton Bradley) when Bill returned from Radio Shack with light bulbs, buzzers and relay switches. He was like a kid in a candy store. He explained that all we would need was a simple circuit going from the batteries to the light bulb and buzzer, and closing at the relay. I smiled and nodded a lot and let him do his thing |
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OPERATION: SCRABBLE BY: Nate Metcalf |