I'm hoping that the following post will serve as a lesson to other collectors to always know what you're buying. I purchased this keychain thinking that it was somehow connected to the World's Smallest Tiny Arcade product line. It turned out that this wasn't the case. The World's Smallest line is marketed by a company called Super Impulse, or Si for short. The Classic Arcade Keyring I'm about to show you was put out by Monogram International Inc., the same company that brought blind bag Disney Figural Keyrings to the market.
I've never been a gamer, but when I first discovered the World's Smallest Tiny Arcade keychains in stores I thought they were really cool. I have a strong sense of nostalgia for the old Basic Fun keychains, many of which were based on classic games and toys. I was thrilled when the World's Smallest line premiered and brought back the idea of mini versions of classic toys. Although I wish that more of the World's Smallest products were available in keychain form.
The prices being charged for the Tiny Arcade line were, unfortunately, more than I could justify spending for something that size on my current budget. Then, on a trip to the local mall, I decided to stop at a store that I hadn't been to in a while called Claire's. Claire's specializes in jewelry and accessories for young people, and I blew quite a lot of money there in my younger days on their 'ten items for ten dollars' clearance sales. While I've mostly outgrown the types of merchandise offered at Claire's, every now and then I'll stop in to check the clearance racks for inexpensive jewelry items that I can take apart for other projects. That day, I happened to notice a bin of the Midway Classic Arcade Collectors Keyrings near the register.
The price was quite a bit less than the Tiny Arcade keychains I'd seen at Walmart earlier. This should have tipped me off that they were completely different products. But I just assumed that the Midway Classic Arcade Keyrings were cheaper because they were a blind bag item, and maybe had fewer features than the keychains at Walmart. I ended up buying one blind bag, and then opened it as soon as I got home.
When I took the keyring out of the bag, I immediately noticed two thing. One: the 'sign' at the top of my keyring was severely askew.
And two: this keyring had no battery operated features. It was basically just a heavy lump of dense, rubbery plastic. It was still sort of cool looking, but not at all what I was expecting. To be fair, the packaging says nothing about any potential light up or sound or game play features. On the other hand, there is also no disclaimer saying that the keyring doesn't have these features.
So now I know: try researching an unfamiliar product 'before' I buy it. While it would be unfair for me to judge this keyring based on what I thought it was, as opposed to what it actually is, there are definitely some quality control issues that I think Monogram International Inc. needs to address. The 'sign' at the top is so far out of alignment that it's pushing out one of the side walls.
Also, the keyring is way too heavy to be used for either storing keys, or to accessorize a backpack or purse. It's a good thing I bought it as a collectible, and not to use. It's also a good thing that I didn't pay more for it. But then, maybe the old saying that you get what you pay for is true.
Signed, Treesa
