To find the area of the playground, you can use the formula for the area of a rectangle, which is:
\[ \text{Area} = \text{length} \times \text{width} \]
In this case, the dimensions of the playground are 16 inches (length) and 5 inches (width).
Now, plug in the values:
\[ \text{Area} = 16 , \text{in} \times 5 , \text{in} = 80 , \text{square inches} \]
Thus, the area of the playground is 80 square inches.