The Nugget Is a Beloved Play Sofa. Is Costco’s Version Better?

But there may be other, structural reasons to opt for The Nugget. Its pieces are larger, denser, and firmer than the Yourigami Play Fort’s pieces, which feel more lightweight and bendable by comparison. We can’t say for certain, but that additional density might make The Nugget’s pieces stand up better over years of repeated squishing and jumping, and so this play couch may be more suitable for certain kinds of play.

The less dense the foam, the easier it is for the polyurethane to degrade and lose its bounce, Dr. Stephen Carr, professor emeritus of Materials Science, Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University, said in a phone interview. However, he questioned whether the noticeable — yet still relatively minor — difference in densities between the two sets’ foams would significantly affect the products’ longevity.

In theory, firmer foam may also provide more structure for building and support for lounging, as some pro-Nugget Redditors have said. (It should be noted that density and firmness are different characteristics and not actually correlated; The Nugget’s pieces are both denser and firmer than the Yourigami Play Fort’s.) To test that theory, I had my kids, ages 10 and 13, build a series of the same structures with both sets. And then I had them lean, perch, and jump on the builds.

The size difference between the two sets is most obvious in the stick-figure configuration, above. The Nugget figure stands a whole head higher than the Yourigami figure. But the Yourigami pieces’ lower density did not appear to affect stability; my kids even piled some additional pieces on top of the Yourigami structure without the cushions buckling.

In fact, for some, the Yourigami set’s smaller, less-firm pieces might actually be a positive. My children enjoyed the flexibility and additional “squish”  in the square cushions, particularly in setups such as the “hammock,” above, where the curviness of the cushions in the Yourigami translated to a more comfortable lounging position. The Yourigami set’s additional flexibility also made it easier for us to balance when we placed square cushions on top of the pointed cushions.

Like many parents, you may wonder how it feels to sleep on these play sofas. I slept on each of the cushions for a night, and in this context, I appreciated The Nugget’s firmness and length compared with the Yourigami set’s. But I should note that sleep is an off-label usage, and in fact, The Nugget specifically states that its cushions are not meant for sleeping.