01.12.09

Squirrel Bliss in the People’s Republic?

Posted in Jiffywoob's Palace at 6:49 pm by Nick

I’ve walked by Cambridge’s Squirrel Brand Park hundreds of times, often with out-of-town guests who, unaware of the eponymous history of the lot, chuckle at the name.

“That’s like changing the name of Logan to ‘Airplane International Airport,’” one friend noted.  Another asked, “where are all the squirrels?”

Of course, as many people know, this small (and relatively unusable, IMHO) plot of land is named after the adjacent and now-defunct (I think?) Squirrel Brand candy company/factory.  Kinda neat that those tasty little Nut Zippers were once made in my home digs.

But what really gets me chuckling is the “playground” within the park:

What exactly are those apparati?  The park’s designers, in their plan, call them “sculptural play elements.”  I’m struggling to figure out how one is to play on this equipment, even with a boatload of imagination.  Is the blue ball on the semi-circular piece supposed to aid in enjoyment?  What, pray tell, is little Timmy to do with a metal ball that’s fixed on a pole six inches off the ground?

Moreover, the fact that I’ve rarely, if ever, seen humans actually use this park leads me to believe that the playground was indeed designed for the little furry rodents rather than for kids.

But at least the presence of soft foam turf around the base of these playthings will ensure the safety of our fuzzy friends should they loose footing (pawing?) and encounter the perilous two-foot drop to the ground.

Hey, the park is pretty, the name is fun, but a note to future park designers: if you’re going to make a playground for kids to enjoy, throw some real equipment on there, huh?

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