Pretty, Pretty Princess

I was first introduced to the game Pretty, Pretty Princess about ten years ago when I was asked to play with a six year-old girl, her teenage brother, and her sister's older-teenage boyfriend. I have been longing ever since to play it with my nieces, and I finally had my chance on New Year's Day!

The premise of the game is easy enough: be the first to accumulate a ring, bracelet, necklace, both earrings -- one at a time -- and tiara. The challenge is that there is only one tiara, so it can be "stolen" away if someone else lands on the space. You might also land on a space that requires you to put an item of jewelry back in the box. And heaven forbid you be forced to wear the black ring. You can't win if you have the black ring, so if you get it you hope someone else lands on that space to take it from you before they can win. It's an adorable game.

My four year-old nieces LOVED it! I think it was the first time I'd ever played a board game with them, and it was fascinating to watch their different reactions. Breezy got the tiara first, and was very, very upset when someone else landed on the space and she had to give it up. She was also very averse to having to wear the black ring. She can usually talk her way out of or into anything, so I think it frustrated her that she couldn't circumvent the rules. Fortunately, the game is fast-paced enough that she won the tiara back quickly and someone else (probably me, I got the black ring a lot) took the accursed ring from her. Happily for her, she ended up winning the first round. She then decided to retire, deciding she wanted to go out on a high note.

The first pretty, pretty princess

Zonks took all of her setbacks in stride, even while I continued to figure out the rules, so they changed from time to time (I think I didn't start enforcing the "return" aspect until the second game). I'd be interested to know her thought process: did she not care enough to be upset, or did she figure it would work out in the end, or did she just enjoy being included? I have no idea. She won the second game fair and square and was delighted to continue playing.

The second pretty, pretty princess
(Pink seemed to be the lucky jewelry color for awhile)

The G-child, their older brother, came to watch about halfway through the second game, and then asked if he could play, too. You have no idea how much that tickled me, knowing that I'd learned the game from two teenage boys in the first place. I love that he had fun playing with my mom, his sister, and me, and it cracked me up that he wasn't at all embarrassed to put on the jewelry, though he said the earrings were uncomfortable. He won the third game and looked stunning! Such a good sport, and a darling big brother.

The dashing, fun-loving prince

All in all, the game was a big hit, and my sister-in-law and one of my brothers has asked to join in whenever we play again. I'm glad it went over well! I must remember to bring it along with me this Sunday.

If you decide to try it, let me know what you think. Pretty, Pretty Princess is aces in my book!


(Hey! I just realized this is my 900th post! Crazy! Thanks, for reading, my friends!)