A Yarraville couple's $600 imported wooden sensory development arch was abandoned by their eighteen-month-old daughter within forty minutes of assembly, after she discovered the cardboard box it came in.
The arch, a pastel-toned rainbow of sanded beech, was purchased following what the mother called "extensive research" into open-ended play, and was described on the retailer's website as "an invitation to explore, balance, crawl and imagine."
"We watched about six videos," the father said. "A woman in Byron Bay was using hers as a bridge, a tunnel, and a cubby. It looked transformative."
It took the couple two weekends to decide on the arch's final position in the lounge room, a spot the father described as "good light, away from the heater, near the bookshelf." The arch was installed on Saturday morning. The couple took a photograph.
The box was left in the hallway to be broken down for recycling.
"She climbed in, closed the flaps, and stayed there," the mother said. "Then she came out, went back in, and took a book with her. She's not interested in the arch. She hasn't looked at it once."
By 10.40am, the box had been designated a house, a car, and what appeared to be a restaurant. At 11am it was joined by a wooden spoon, which the couple said was "the first toy we've ever seen her take seriously."
The arch, still in its original position, is currently being used by the father to hang a jacket.
"It's actually quite a good jacket hook," he said. "It holds a surprising amount of weight."
The couple has decided against purchasing the matching pastel stepping stones, which were in their online cart, and have instead asked their local supermarket whether they have any more boxes.
"They said to come back Tuesday," the mother said. "I've put it in the calendar."