Why do you torment me with packaging, Hasbro?!

[Dragonflitter]

I know this is probably old news but I have to take a moment to bemoan my fate--the fate which occurred while trying to open these weird MLP Cute Mark Crew packages!

Yeah, I know this is part of the current gimmick of kids toys, especially girl toys... to make the packaging a nightmare (er, I mean, fun!) to open. But geez! This was so much more work than it had to be!

I bought my first Cutie Mark Crew set, and on Amazon it looks innocuous...suspiciously innocuous... I should have guessed what was in store...

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I thought "Oh that looks cute" and then didn't think any more of it. But then, when I got the dang thing, I had to figure out how to get into it! You can't just open the cardboard at the top and slide the toys out OH NO. They are each nestled in their own little individual alcove! First you have to rip off each cardboard balloon, which are perforated so you think it would be easy, but NO they don't have any easy spot to grab and rip. You gotta dig in your fingernails to pry up a spot to rip it open.

Then for some reason there's a little tissue paper covering that you have to punch through with your finger to reveal the prize? What, am I at a carnival now?

THEN each little item is wrapped in its own (different colored!) bag! Why? Hasbro, this is just too much work. Dear, dear Hasbro, if you put HALF as much effort into making your actual toys that you put into your dumb packaging, we would be so happy. I swear to you, we would.

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And lastly EACH BAG IS FILLED WITH CONFETTI WHY WHY HASBRO?

 

Why must you turn my bedroom into the remains of an 8-year-old's birthday party just so I can enjoy these cute little pony creatures!?

So finally I opened them all and lo and behond! I have to dig through the confetti to find their little accessories. Not bad enough that I can open the bag, get the pony, and dump out the confetti OH NO I gotta root through it so I don't accidentally through out any accessories! (Accessories which have absolutely nothing to do with MLP and are so tiny that no kid is going to still have them six months from now anyway...) But finally! Here they are! Whew!

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It's a good thing you're so cute, Cutie Mark Crew...

[FernMariposa919]

I'm sorry that was such a pain-in-the-you-know-what for you to open, but I must admit I was chuckling as I was reading each obstacle you had to endeavor. It does seem a bit much (and the confetti would drive me UP the wall), but looks like you got some cute ponies there.

I just don't understand why these toy companies love using as much paper and cardboard they can get their hands on. My young niece loves LOL dolls and they seem to come with a lot of packaging too. I don't remember packaging being this excessive with my toys when I was younger!

[Wardah]

I know this is probably old news but I have to take a moment to bemoan my fate--the fate which occurred while trying to open these weird MLP Cute Mark Crew packages!

Yeah, I know this is part of the current gimmick of kids toys, especially girl toys... to make the packaging a nightmare (er, I mean, fun!) to open. But geez! This was so much more work than it had to be!

I bought my first Cutie Mark Crew set, and on Amazon it looks innocuous...suspiciously innocuous... I should have guessed what was in store...

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


I thought "Oh that looks cute" and then didn't think any more of it. But then, when I got the dang thing, I had to figure out how to get into it! You can't just open the cardboard at the top and slide the toys out OH NO. They are each nestled in their own little individual alcove! First you have to rip off each cardboard balloon, which are perforated so you think it would be easy, but NO they don't have any easy spot to grab and rip. You gotta dig in your fingernails to pry up a spot to rip it open.

Then for some reason there's a little tissue paper covering that you have to punch through with your finger to reveal the prize? What, am I at a carnival now?

THEN each little item is wrapped in its own (different colored!) bag! Why? Hasbro, this is just too much work. Dear, dear Hasbro, if you put HALF as much effort into making your actual toys that you put into your dumb packaging, we would be so happy. I swear to you, we would.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


And lastly EACH BAG IS FILLED WITH CONFETTI WHY WHY HASBRO?

 

Why must you turn my bedroom into the remains of an 8-year-old's birthday party just so I can enjoy these cute little pony creatures!?

So finally I opened them all and lo and behond! I have to dig through the confetti to find their little accessories. Not bad enough that I can open the bag, get the pony, and dump out the confetti OH NO I gotta root through it so I don't accidentally through out any accessories! (Accessories which have absolutely nothing to do with MLP and are so tiny that no kid is going to still have them six months from now anyway...) But finally! Here they are! Whew!

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It's a good thing you're so cute, Cutie Mark Crew...

That's an older release. They at least seem to have done away with the plastic bags in favor of tissue paper.

[Dragonflitter]

I'm sorry that was such a pain-in-the-you-know-what for you to open, but I must admit I was chuckling as I was reading each obstacle you had to endeavor.

Lol as long as I amused some people, that helps make the aggravation with it. ^_^

[FernMariposa919]

I'm sorry that was such a pain-in-the-you-know-what for you to open, but I must admit I was chuckling as I was reading each obstacle you had to endeavor.

Lol as long as I amused some people, that helps make the aggravation with it. ^_^

  Hey, we've all been there. Sometimes I think they enjoy making these boxes as difficult to open as they can!

[bladed]

reminds me of the time i bought a cutie mark crew single and the packaging was damaged (i didn't notice) and it leaked all over the stores counter when i went to pay!

[Dragonflitter]

Oh noooooo. lol. I can imagine the face of that poor cashier.

[Mewtwofan1]

Ooof yikes. Yeah, I think all toy companies now have a department dedicated to packaging and how to make it as infuriating as possible.
“Okay we got blind bag figures. How do we make these more exciting to children, but awful for anybody else?”
“Make the box impossible to open, put each toy in its own bag and fill each bag with confetti so it explodes EVERYWHERE!”
“…Jim you have just been promoted, take my office!”

[Itcheeee]

You said my thoughts with this set perfectly. The worst packaging besides oversized 10x bigger then the contents is gimmicky messy packaging. I bought one a few months ago and I'm STILL finding confetti! And I still have the box. I never throw boxes away but I normally am not forced to open them. I love the ponies but the gimmick is not appreciated, Hasbro! I never liked this kind of stuff even as a kid. Especially anything gross or messy.
I'm glad you found the items and I'm sorry this set is such a pain.

[Esbayne]

Lordy loo! Reminds me of those evil prank birthday cards that don't stop singing until the battery dies or you rip it out, and trying to rip it out amounts to glitter exploding out of the thing...

Why is Hasbro evil-pranking us with glitter bombs, now?

[Snapdragon]

Hahaha but at least they're super cute!! Sounds like I need to get this set! *.*

[honor_h]

They are very cute so at least there's a compensation! I can't say I'd be happy with confetti going everywhere! But I'd still be tempted if I saw them in a shop.

[Kazzellin]

I just don't understand why these toy companies love using as much paper and cardboard they can get their hands on. My young niece loves LOL dolls and they seem to come with a lot of packaging too. I don't remember packaging being this excessive with my toys when I was younger!

It's another example of the few ruining it for everyone else.

The hard-to-open packaging, the plastic shells that are now kinda slippery, the 14+ twist ties holding dolls to the cardboard backing, the fact that you cannot just slide the bubble off the back card--all the myriad little things you need to do to free whatever it is you're buying from the confined of it's packaging?

All of it is an attempt to stop theft. 

The packages are so hard to open now because thieves would open the packages in the stores, take the toys, and leave the packaging behind. So they made opening the toys really time consuming to prevent thieves from doing that. Which is why thieves now will, when given the choice, just take the toy, package and all, to either sell it online or give it to their kids (who won't be knowledgeable enough to wonder about the process, and sometimes are even included in the thieves' shoplifting).

(Why, no, working retail for 20+ years, including at a TRU, hasn't made me frustrated about it at all, whyever do you ask? )

Except the confetti--that's more likely just Hasbro being silly ponies and continuing the "party!" atmosphere around the CMC since... year 3, was it?

I may have to hunt down this set despite the packaging--that Luna is lovely!

[Wardah]

I just don't understand why these toy companies love using as much paper and cardboard they can get their hands on. My young niece loves LOL dolls and they seem to come with a lot of packaging too. I don't remember packaging being this excessive with my toys when I was younger!

It's another example of the few ruining it for everyone else.

The hard-to-open packaging, the plastic shells that are now kinda slippery, the 14+ twist ties holding dolls to the cardboard backing, the fact that you cannot just slide the bubble off the back card--all the myriad little things you need to do to free whatever it is you're buying from the confined of it's packaging?

All of it is an attempt to stop theft. 

The packages are so hard to open now because thieves would open the packages in the stores, take the toys, and leave the packaging behind. So they made opening the toys really time consuming to prevent thieves from doing that. Which is why thieves now will, when given the choice, just take the toy, package and all, to either sell it online or give it to their kids (who won't be knowledgeable enough to wonder about the process, and sometimes are even included in the thieves' shoplifting).

(Why, no, working retail for 20+ years, including at a TRU, hasn't made me frustrated about it at all, whyever do you ask? )

Except the confetti--that's more likely just Hasbro being silly ponies and continuing the "party!" atmosphere around the CMC since... year 3, was it?

I may have to hunt down this set despite the packaging--that Luna is lovely!

The whole YouTube opening surprise toys trend didn't help.