Martin Luther Chima Day

Cal has certainly gone through his share of phases of interests the past six years.  Some, like soccer and running, were short-lived.  Others, like drawing and writing, stuck around long enough that we thought it could be a passion but not long enough to prove that it was.  One, Dinosaurs, you can count on -- Cal's got numerous books about dinosaurs, reads them regularly and periodically adds to both his collection of books and his dinosaur knowledge.  You really can't go wrong with dinosaurs when it comes to Cal.

And then there's Lego Chima. From out of nowhere came Chima and Cal's passion for it.  He loves it.  I spent the better part of today, Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, absorbing and deflecting Cal's requests to watch an episode (or 10) of Chima... to watch YouTube videos of hands assembling Chima sets and those same hands showing off the fighting capabilities of each set in a battle between them... to just go to the store to buy a set (I can't remember the name) because it's "only $9.99" (to which I responded at least once that we would not be spending $10 on another set knowing full well he'd be correcting me that it wasn't $10, it was $9.99 -- we're working on rounding up now).

Part of our morning was spent buying him a new pair of Crocs; and, I'm not kidding, doing so involved a Google Search first to see if they make Chima Crocs.  If you're wondering, they don't.

Later in the day, after I decided he had exhausted all of his computer and TV privileges, I asked him if he wanted to play a game with me, like one of the matching games we have in the "toy room."  He responded that he had a better idea, and then proceeded to invite me to some kind of game that involved his Chima lego sets and a die (I never did understand the game and, frankly, doubt he could repeat it).

Here are the Chima Lego sets that Cal and I would have been playing with had I taken him up on his invitation (he sat down with me so I could type as he named them all... he even corrected my spelling of some of these names):

• Maula's Ice Mammoth Stomper
• Flying Fire Phoenix Temple
• Vardy's Ice Vulture Glider
• Laval's Lion Legend Beast
• Sparratus' Spider Stalker
• Lavertus' Twin Blade
• Razar's Speedor
• Gorzan's Speedor
• Icebite's Claw Driller

And at the top of his wish list right now is Sir Fangar's Ice Fortress.  He was saving up his birthday money to buy that and had maybe another $10 to go before he weakened and decided to buy a less-expensive set (the Claw Driller) on New Year's Day.  He's got the bug.  He regularly reads (probably more appropriately looks at) the instruction booklets for his Chima sets before bedtime, on car trips or when he just needs to kill a little time.  He can even name all of the characters -- the leads, the supporting and the really obscure (I won't even try to provide examples of this).

Once a set is put together, it pretty much stays together in the Leatherman house; and Cal plays with them carefully, understanding that they really are relatively fragile (not that they couldn't be put back together).  He once told Dan that he likes to watch Chima episodes so that he can "get ideas for how to play" with his sets.

I hate to admit it, but these things are pretty cool.  They have so much creative detail and function, like claws that when pinched send a bomb (marble) flying or like creepy spider legs that move up and down or like detachable animal ships to send into battle.

While it's not uncommon for me to use the time Cal's watching a Chima episode to catch up on some much needed sleep, I have watched my share of Chima episodes.  I think I've seen episode 38, Cal's favorite, five times.  And while I used to scoff at the whole idea that Lego cartoons even existed, I now find myself either amused by the creative reminders that these things are Legos or forgetting they're Legos altogether as I watch these shows.

That Cal's current passion (only rivaled by Dinosaurs) is for Lego Chima could not have been predicted and at the same time does not necessarily surprise me.  I'm neither pleased nor disappointed his passion is Lego Chima.  I'm just happy he has one, he has something about which he gets excited and really looks forward to doing.  I think Martin Luther King, Jr. would be happy about that, too.