Scribble-betes.

So if you've been a good dork lately and have paid attention to all the latest video game hoo-ha out there in the world, you'll know there's a little title out for the Nintendo DS/DSi called Scribblenauts. Scribblenauts is a kid-friendly game with geek-friendly adult appeal. The basis of the game is that you solve puzzles by calling on things of your choosing. The game has a vast library of words and associated objects.

For example, if the puzzle requires you to get into a tree to collect the Starites you need to complete the level, you could type in "ladder", get a ladder, and climb up to your goal. Or you could type "ax" and chop the tree down. Or you could type "beaver" and get a beaver to come chew on the tree trunk, hence felling the tree and reaching your goal. Fun, right? It sure is.

I just purchased Scribblenauts for my own DS, and let me tell you...I've barely touched the real levels yet. Things are hectic and crazy at work right now, I don't have a lot of free time these days. So why the hell are you posting this, Hannah? You may ask me.

Because even before you play the game, the opening screen is a sandbox, meaning a fun screen to play around with that doesn't otherwise affect your own game play. It is here that you can find out the true measure of Scribblenauts' vast library of words. You can't use real people's names or anything obscene, but it's true that I have been able to summon all of the following:

Kitten
Bunny
Mad Scientist
Vampire
Goat
Guitar
The Krakken
Cthulu
Spaghetti Cat
Trampoline
Unicycle
Wizard
Orc
Elf (so the Orc killed the Elf, but the Wizard killed the Orc)

If you want to see more of what kind of fun this can be, I suggest you go watch this YouTube clip from some video game expo somewhere.

So I decided just to entertain you, my dear diabetes-havin' readership, that I would see what Scribblenauts was capable of using diabetes terms. I successfully summoned the following, though don't even ask me how these could be remotely beneficial in a puzzle level:

Syringe
Pancreas
Endocrinologist (just like typing in "doctor")
Insulin (no different from the syringe)
Glucose Monitor (which looks a lot like the last BD meter I had before they stopped making them)


Things that didn't work at all:

Lancet
Glucagon
Glucose Tabs
Test Strip

Things that almost worked:

Juice Box (a big wooden box/crate...hope you're feeling really low)
Insulin Pump (I got a bicycle pump, that looked like it had long tubing and an infusion set connected to it, but it turns out the bike pump looks identical)

So I guess were we all to have type 1 in the Scribblenauts universe, we'd be okay. You'd be able to see an endo, test your blood sugar and give yourself shots. If your BG got too low, you could still eat a candy bar. Or maybe get crushed by a wooden crate o' juice. All that while you run around, clutching your useless, bright red pancreas. Don't worry. It'll come in handy someday. That Cthulu is always such a hungry little fella...