I do not have enough question marks.
Santa has visited early this year, and has brought a Lego Advent calendar. There are 24 little numbered doors, each containing a dime bag of Legos. There’s a new toy or doodad to build every day, which, in turn, builds anticipation for Christmas.
I will build these and attempt to discern what they are.
December 15: Uncanny Valley
This is a representation of the Uncanny Valley: the idea that there isn’t a linear relationship between how human-looking an object is and how positively we respond to it, but that there is a huge dip (the valley) when things look almost human, but not quite, and they are repulsive.
Rating
Fun ★☆☆☆☆
Nope.
Ease of Build ★★☆☆☆
It’s weirder than you’d think. The arms can’t really plug in to the body piece as-is and it requires some odd adapter piece that’s not a style of Lego thing that I’m used to.
Comprehensibility ★☆☆☆☆
This is the “City” version of the calendar. Two days ago, there was a chicken and egg problem, and now we have something that I assume is supposed to be a scarecrow? I recognize that anyone can put out a scarecrow decoration (although I would question it at Christmas time), and I even personally know some urban farmers, but still, if someone said to me, “NAME CITY THINGS: GO,” chickens and scarecrows would be so far down the list compared to skyscrapers or a hobo screaming at a manhole cover.
Extra Parts ★☆☆☆☆
I got another round beige thing and a scarecrow arm adapter (but no additional arm to adapt). While not an extra part, it also came with a neon green scarf, which brings the season’s total up to three.
Overall ★☆☆☆☆
Come on down to Uncanny Valley Ranch, where the horses are an AI-generated fever dream, the salad dressing is just mayonnaise with pepper, and the scarecrows manage to peer into your soul despite having no eyes. Yeeeee-haw.
