Kids' Castle: A Delight, Even Without Tokens

Kids’ Castle (aka Oasis Kids) in Newark is Chuck E. Cheese on steroids, but without the obnoxious characters and casino lights. Whenever my son gets a birthday invitation to Check E. Cheese, my survival instincts kick in, and I begin to draw upon every weapon in my arsenal to justify why it’s my husband’s turn to chaperone. However, Kids’ Castle is a delight. There are no screaming kids high on cake. There are no miserable parents trying to speed up time. And there’s nothing like seeing the joy on my 4-year old’s face when I tell him that it’s date night with mommy.

There’s one rule when I go to Kids’ Castle: I refuse to buy tokens. It’s a racket, irrespective of the establishment. (Buying beer for $5 a pint, on the other hand, is completely sane.) My decree forces my son to scavenge for tokens in the crevices of video game chassis.

Upon entering Kids’ Castle, my son makes a beeline for the token machines and begins his search. He starts with the “low hanging fruit,” the coins lodged in the token channel, which easily discharges tokens with a press of the coin-eject button. My son has no remorse for the toddlers that can’t read the sign that says, “2 Tokens.” He finds about six tokens (ten on a good night) using this strategy.

The remaining five tokens requires a lot more effort. He inspects the underbelly of the machines; it’s very common for tokens to roll underneath the machines. I typically donate a few tokens to his collection, in between reading informative articles in the secular Christian Science Monitor. As I contemplate the number of conflicts my country is getting itself into, my son is honing in on his next target. Having the eyesight of a tarsier, he spots tokens hiding in the multi-colored circles that adorn the floor’s carpet pattern in the dimly lit gaming room.

My son’s peculiar behavior results in some “looks” at this Indian-visited pizza joint. The best part of this saga is when my son converts other kids to the dark side. While the other parents are aghast at their children’s scavenging, their collaboration amuses me, except when I need to intervene to stop them from inspecting the machines for tokens while a patron is trying to play a game. As I sit back and observe my son probe for tokens, I wonder if I’m teaching him self-reliance and teamwork, or priming him for a life of crime. I return to my beer and newspaper.

If you’re looking for Friday night or weekend entertainment, you can’t go wrong with Kids’ Castle. Kids’ Castle has an incredible indoor “hamster” playground (a close competitor to Outer Limits Fun Zone in Pocatello, Idaho), zip line, and jumpy house that offers two hours of solid entertainment for young kids, and all free of charge. Yep, you heard me, there’s no entrance fee! So what’s the catch? The Indian pizza is yummy, and so you’ll get sucked into buying a pie.

Angela Akridge
Volunteer, Newark Parks Foundation
www.newarkparks.org