WHAT IS CANDYLAND?
Candy land is suitable for children who are still at an early age. Candyland is an entertaining game. It was indeed designed for children to practice patience, learn about colors, and get used to socializing with friends. Apart from being fun, this board game does not require skills such as reading or arithmetic.
So, children will easily play it. Interestingly, the Candy Land board game manufacturers package this game in a variety of bright colors so that it can attract the attention of our little ones. You can see the rules of the Candy Land game on the back of the Candy Land product packaging.
From this game, our kids will learn and focus on following instructions. The rules for playing Candy Land are that players must follow the directions according to the cards to get to the finish line.
This game only requires players to go to the final destination, the Candyland. So to get to Candyland, kids have to complete some jobs and obstacles. The faster they complete the task, the faster they go to Candyland.
WHY IT MATTERS TO ME
I remember playing Candyland when I was a child. My imagination is going wild whenever that game pops out. It is always about chocolate mountains, candy castles, and lollypop woods.
I was pretty afraid when I was about to introduce this game to my son. I thought he might say, “Daddy, it’s lame .”But, it didn’t happen coz, surprisingly, he loved it as much as I did. I underestimated it too much. Kids nowadays still love the game.
3 years later, he’s getting older, and he might think that the board game may be too childish for him. Although he’s only six, that board game is considered too easy for him, and we might no longer play that game again. I was pretty sad to think about it because there is a thought of burying the game.
My left brain said it would be gone, but I still have optimism that it won’t be quickly gone. So, I came up with a bigger idea to make that game stay fun and interesting. The only solution is
GIANT CANDYLAND!
Yes, I still got the fun and the passion for bringing that game back to my son. I would make our own Candyland in our backyard. It was a grand idea for my son’s 7th birthday because it will bring him back to memory when we play the mini version of it. I remember I was super excited seeing him so happy playing the board game. So it must be good for him to see the giant version of Candyland.
To be honest, this has not happened yet because I am still doing my research about it. I just think that it should be excellent and fun, so I am making sure that it is not gonna be a flop. I was pretty scared during my research because it required a lot of work.
Lol, but I am not surprised. There has to be more work. So, to make my job easier, I decided to write my research here, so maybe there are some Candyland fans there who want to build their giant game. Trust me, it’s worth reading to bring back your childhood memories!
HERE ARE THE IDEAS!!!
Let’s start with the reference.
When we build giant Candyland, we have to have a reference. There is no better reference than a mini version of this game. You will need a regular-sized Candyland game.
The reason why reference matters are to make the life-sized one is reliable and authentic to the actual game. It might bring back memories better if you take your old board game for reference.
There are several ways to decide which version you want to take as the reference. If your children have played before and love the modern one, you can buy the Candyland game on Amazon.com.
There are plenty of cheap games out there. However, till today I am still in love with the Retro Version. I don’t know; I love the retro more than the modern one.
My favorite DIY Candyland
Well, there is nothing wrong with looking at some DIY one. Maybe, it’s the easiest way to make it possible for the life-sized one. One of the best DIY giant candy land games I found online is Dinah. She documented her life-sized Candyland at DIYinspired.com. It was for her friend’s birthday party.
I love how they used plywood cut and then painted bright colors. Her idea is brilliant. She just joined the cuts with zip ties, and I thought it was pretty practical and accessible. Simple and yet elegant. I mainly highlight the idea of using plywood because it is effortless to get the cut.
The reason why it is brilliant is that this method is reusable. If you want to reuse the game board, you must number the pieces on the back. The reason why you have to number them is to ease the arrangement in the future. So, just make sure to number before you store them away.
I know that DIYinspired articles are not really a how-to blog post, but it is worth looking at the inspiration before creating our own game. I also like the hand-painted road signs.
Make sure you read the comments on those posts to see the QnA section. The creators answer some essential things, like using various elements to build their giant Candyland.
This is a two-part post so be sure to check out part 2 as well.
How-To articles I found.
The following post I found is by summercamppto.com. They document their journey in building giant Candyland there. What makes me love it is because they tell you the pros and cons of various materials. They have some cool cutouts from Candyland Characters.
Painted track in Candyland
Another great idea in making a giant Candyland board game is using our backyard. Evelyn Kirchner made her own life-sized Candyland for her daughter’s 5th birthday party.
She painted the lawn for the game path. It is a fantastic idea for those with a big backyard with a good yard. It is creative, and it will not cost a lot because you just need Rost-Oleum inverted marking spray. It is pretty safe to create a Candyland path on the lawn.
The reason why it is safe is that the spray is produced specifically for marking dirt and grass. It is used frequently for an athletic field, underground utilities, and landscaping. So, you don’t need to worry that the spray will damage your grass.
Here are the colors you need to see. They look pretty and exciting.
The Kadarshians’ Style
First, I am not a fan of the Kardashians, but I gotta admit that their Giant Candyland is probably the most beautiful and excellent I have ever seen. This pretty life-sized Candyland was a part of Penelope and North’s dual birthday party.
It’s good to know that the sister’s kids have a close birthday. Why? I was pretty sure that it must not be a cheap board game. I have investigated the price ta of the lavish bash. $200,000 must not be enough for the extravaganze. What a huge cost for a game.
But, the more you see their Giant Candyland, the more you think it makes sense. You can see more at Poosh.com.
The Sweet Escape’s Giant Candyland Board
Stop looking at Kadarshians’ Candyland if you don’t wanna pay the huge cost. If you just want to spend around $100 a night, you can stay at the Sweet Escape vacation rental. Go with your friends. Bring your close friends at least 50 to cover.
It has 10 bedrooms and 5-acre kids paradises. It is near Orlando, Florida. It is like a mini version of Disneyland. You can find mini-golf, ice cream cone-shaped swimming pool and of course GIANT CANDYLAND.
The game board is made out of concrete and decorated with colored squares, riddles, rhymes, and game-playing directions. It involves jumping, dancing, and more. So, one person spins the spinner and then tells the directions out loud for the rest of the players to race to see who will catch the finish line first. That’s totally a true sweet escape. It’s worth trying.
Biggest Life-Sized Candyland Game Ever
The biggest life-sized Candyland game I ever found is in Lombard Street. It is located in San Francisco. It was for the 60th anniversary of the game. They closed Lombard Street and colored foam mats rugged on “The World’s Crookedest Street” for the game path. You can check the video if you want to see the action.
I think that’s all my research journey. I will write more once I find more interesting ideas on how to make real-life Candyland. It is all worth it to get all those ideas. It takes time to make it happen, but the research is enough to make a clear plan for my son’s 7th birthday party. I will let you know if I have done the real plan for my own life-sized Candyland game.
Here’s a video if you want to see the game in action:
That’s all I have for now. I will keep adding to this page as I find new sources of inspiration for building your very own Real Life Candyland game.
Good Luck!