Introducing a Perpetual Calendar: Just In Time for Doomsday!

With a perpetual calendar, you don’t need to get a new calendar every year. One perpetual calendar can last the rest of your lifetime.

And the new Perpetual Calendar Blocks from Uncle Goose are built to last a few lifetimes! A heritage toy, you can hand them down from generation to generation.

You’ll be able to twist and turn these blocks into any calendar date. You can also decorate your days with weather and holiday blocks.

It does require some effort on your part, though. Every day, you’ll need to flip to a new date. Note how a six becomes a nine when you turn it upside down.

A perpetual calendar is a fun way for children to learn about months, dates, seasons, weather, and numbers. Your Uncle Goose is planning to premiere this 7-piece block set in February — just in time for Doomsday!

Wait, what? What’s Doomsday?

The Doomsday Rule is a silly name for a fun mathematical rule. It helps you calculate what every day of the year is — without looking at a calendar. Here’s how the Doomsday Rule works:

First, you need to know the day and date of the last day in February. In 2022, that day is February 28, and that day is a Monday. That day is your anchor “Doomsday.” In 2022, this means all Doomsdays will be Mondays. When you know that Doomsday, you can calculate all the other Doomsdays in every other month. 

Second, since you know February 28 is the last day of the month and that it’s a Monday, we know the Doomsday for March. It means that March 7 will also be a Monday. 

Third, for every even numbered month after February, Doomsday will fall on the same date as the number of the month. That means that 4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, and 12/12 will all be Doomsdays. In 2022, that means all those days will be Mondays.

Fourth, for four odd months, you’ll need to remember a fun mnemonic device. The mnemonic is “I worked from 9 to 5 at the 7-11.” So for Month 5, or May, Doomsday is the 9th. For July, the 7th month, Doomsday is the 11th. For September, the 9th month, Doomsday is the 5th, and for November, the 11th month, Doomsday is the 7th. They're all Mondays in 2022. 

Fifth, for January, we need to know if the February Doomsday anchor date was during a leap year. If it’s a leap year, which happens every 4th year, then Doomsday will be January 4. And if it’s a regular year, which happens 3 years in a row, Doomsday will be on January 3. Since 2022 isn’t a leap year, it means that January 3 was a Monday.

And now that you know how to figure out which day it is on one day every month, you can figure out all the other days of the month using addition and subtraction. That’s the “Doomsday Rule.”

If the Doomsday Rule is too much math for you to bear: try getting the new Uncle Goose Perpetual Calendar instead! Use the Perpetual Calendar to help illustrate numbers, dates, seasons, and weather concepts.

Have fun!