Parents will often think of the days when they brought their mini Me’s the to local park for a game of catch or two with a frisbee or even a ball, but how times have changed. While the Yackle Ball does not come with an integrated digital camera or MP3 player just yet, it offers something very different from the traditional ball or frisbee by coming in the shape of the letter ‘X’. While the word ‘ball’ in its name might be misleading, you would be interested to hear how this park toy works. Made from a soft, squidgy, tough, and tactile material, the Yackle offers at least half a dozen games for you and your progeny to engage in instead of sitting in front of the TV on a beautiful summer day bashing each other’s brains out on the latest beat ‘em up on the Xbox 360.

You require enough people to form two teams first though, and the one who catches the Yackle on the black side will pick up a couple of points, while those who pick up the Yackle on its white side takes half the amount of points. This means black and white teams will have to pick up the right side corresponding to their color. I think the game would be more interesting if catching it with the opposite color results in a minus one, but I guess the rules can be bent to suit your taste.

The Yackle was designed to be thrown easily and it won’t give you a black eye even if your hand-eye coordination is extremely poor, thanks to the soft material it was made from. The cross shape surprisingly gives it an aerodynamic body and enough momentum to fly farther than a football with a casual throw. Made from water-resistant marine vinyl, the Yackle works great in the park and at the beach. At £14.95 a pop, it is definitely something different to look forward to instead of throwing the old pigskin in your backyard.

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