As my frantic search for our hurt youngster continued, panic began to take over.

Every second counted. If we didn’t find him soon, all would be lost. So the room soon took on the appearance of a Toys ‘R Us caught in a tornado, with Little People desperately trying to hold onto the handles of their petite plastic cars as they were snatched from their homes.

Just when the search seemed hopeless, she chimed in.

“I found him, Turtle!” Penny exclaimed. “Let’s take him to his mommy and daddy!”

With that, we took the stuffed penguin back to his parents (daddy Elmo and mommy Teddy Bear were eternally gratefully). That mission accomplished, Penny — code name: Wonder Pet Duck — and I — code name: Wonder Pet Turtle — joined forces with out dog, Bella — code name: Wonder Pet Hamster — to rescue another baby animal.

Mommy and Rigby were napping, so Penny took full advantage of the one-on-one daddy time one recent afternoon. As amazing as she is on a day-to-day basis, Penny blew me away during this infrequent solo play opportunity with just how vibrant her imagination is.

Penny’s favorite show of late (favorites come in spurts in our household) is “Wonder Pets,” which sees three classroom pets moonlighting as rescuers of trapped animals. Watching that prior to Rigby’s nap inspired Penny to act out the antics of her anthropomorphic heroes.

“Let’s go!” she cried to get Bella and me going on our next mission. I asked her who we were rescuing. She replied that she didn’t know yet. But once she found a stuffed animal worth saving, we sprang into action, prying victory from the jaws of a stuffed shark and ensuring a happy ending.

And so our rescues were repeated a half-dozen times ( I, for one, had no clue that every stuffed toy in the kids’ playroom was spawned from the same set of parents). This charms of this game of benevolence wearing off, Penny called an audible (without informing the rest of the team) and summoned me to the other side of room.

“Come inside,” she said, gesturing for me to walk over.

All I saw were a blue soccer ball and a dump truck. But I was quickly corrected when she told me these items actually made up the house of Jason and Jeffrey, the twin brothers who are friends with the titular lead character from “Caillou.” So inside we went to make pizzas and play marching band like those characters did on the show, with her convincing me at one point that I was stuck in the mud and pulling me out.

Once that grew tiresome, the soccer ball became the game ball for the Super Bowl (she had just learned what the Super Bowl was) and she became the star quarterback for the winning team. I’m not sure how the field became strewn with so many Lincoln Logs, but I navigated my way through the minefield of diminutive defensive backs to catch the winning score.

Before my touchdown spike even hit the ground, Penny took us into “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” where she was Mickey and I was simultaneously Donald and Daisy Duck. We used the “channel changer” (the remote control-looking device used on the show to call up helping gadgets) and did the Hot Dog Dance (don’t ask) before Penny and her androgynous partner in play went to retrieve Rigby as he emerged from his slumber.

Before he had a chance to wipe the kooks from his eyes, Rigby became Boots to Penny’s Dora as they began a quest to find the map and backpack (I had to “drive” them to the store on Rigby’s toy train to buy a backpack, after which Penny insisted that I take her to the doctor’s office — where everything always “looks great” when she inspect me with her toy doctor kit — and then to “Chuck E. Cheese”).

And, for one surprisingly fun afternoon, I got to remember what makes childhood so great. The limits that we adults put on life dissipate, and anything (or nothing) can become anything.

So I won’t hesitate to dive head-first into whatever game Penny’s playing when she asks me to in the future. Heck, maybe next time I’ll get to be the hamster.

Contact Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116,or paul.lane@gnnewspaper.com.