Welcome to The Fantabulous Newsons, my attempt at a Sideshow Challenge! The Sideshow Challenge was created by aelflaed, and was originally posted on MTS. It is not available there any longer, so I've reposted the rules to my LJ for those who are interested. It's a non-scored challenge, and there are several ways to win. I've chosen to play it with the Newson family from Apartment Life, because there's no hardship challenge that the combination of younger-than-designed-for children and no-adults-at-all can't make better.

The rules state that the family can only have $50 left in the bank after they move in and set up, so I bought enough stuff to reduce their bank balance and stuffed all these goodies in Gavin's inventory to make up the difference.

I had to take a few things out again to sell because I hadn't quite finished building the lot like I was supposed to, but I got the funds back down to $50 once I fixed that, no worries.

Since this is a sideshow, you have to open a home business (Gavin did that) and every sim on the lot must “perform” for the customers every day. Gavin used their one musical instrument to make a sound like a cat being tortured... for tips.

Gabriella had a go at the fiddle herself.

Gallagher took to telling stories to the customers. They were as entertaining as any story told by a child would be.

GALLAGHER: An', an' then, an' then there was this gold an' stuff, an', an'...

I was a bit worried about how the Toddlers could perform, but it turns out that all they have to do is be cute and people will interact with them spontaneously. I've decided that counts, since the rules assume that you'll be starting with Adults and Teens, pre-FT, and there's not much Toddlers can do pre-FT.

The rest of the rotation continued in much the same vein. Gavin played the violin regularly, and stopped sounding quite so horrible. Ginger played catch or water balloon with the customers, Gabriella told stories, and Gallagher showed how he could jump rope up to a hundred. Nearly. Well, pretty high anyway.

Garrett and Georgia remained cute, and I got to see the Huggle for the very first time.

Georgia did learn the nursery rhyme, but I couldn't figure out how to make her sing it for anyone on command.

Sleeping proved to be a huge problem: The rules provide you with specific things to start off with, and a limited number of spaces you have available to fill after that. Also, you must pay for anything new out of profits from the business, which means that (since I forgot to start charging admission until just before closing on Day One) there was nowhere for the Toddlers to sleep except (fitfully) on the floor, after much crying and screaming.

Pretty well everyone was hungry, tired, and unhappy (or whatever the opposite of “Fun” is), and often they were stinky as well. This shows a fairly typical Needs panel, with a bonus shot of everyone's lovely yellow icons. If you look closely, you can see Garrett passed out in the yard after soiling his diaper. The children went to school (tanking their Fun motive even further), and Gavin and Ginger took turns staying home with the Toddlers.

Not that any homework got done, of course.

Nobody got taken by the Social Worker, probably through pure luck. This picture pretty well sums up my feelings after my first play sessions with the Fantabulous Newsons.

Can I keep the family together? Will the business be a success? Is this challenge winnable? Find out in the next episode of The Fantabulous Newsons! Until next time, Happy Simming!