Why is it?

Why is it that the toy you remember playing so fondly as a child is so much louder now that you're a parent?

A few weeks ago I wandered through an antique/thrift store, looking for a few specific things - some fabric to make produce bags, cloth handkerchiefs for the upcoming winter season, anything that might make Halloween costumes a bit easier to assemble.

On my way out, I stepped into the kids/game aisle. Much to my surprise, I found Hungry Hungry Hippos, the 80's version - not the snap together version, but the all in one, big piece of plastic version. Woo Hoo - let's relive my childhood! I had been looking for this, because I wanted the kids to have the solid piece version of the game. And, even better, it was 50% off the yellow tags, so I got it for $1.50!

So, now as my kids play this on a fairly regular basis, why do I find the noise so loud and irritating? I don't remember the game being this loud when I was eagerly attempting to eat marbles in the early 1980's. I just remember the joy from watching marble roll into the catch basin ...

Ah well ... they're having fun, and I've got Tylenol.