I'm hoping that the following post will serve as a lesson to other collectors to always be sure what you're buying. I purchased this keychain thinking it was somehow connected to the World's Smallest Tiny Arcade product line. It turned out this was not the case. The World's Smallest line is put out by a company called Super Impulse, or SI for short. The Classic Arcade Keyring I'm about to show you is a product of Monogram International Inc., the same company known for their blind bag Figural Keyrings.
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 Inc keychains, many of which were based on classic games and toys. I was thrilled when the World's Smallest line premiered and proceeded to bring back the concept 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 on something that size with my current budget. Then, on a trip to the local mall, I decided to stop by 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 lower than the Tiny Arcade keychains I'd previously seen at Walmart. This should have tipped me off that they were, in fact, completely different products. But I just assumed that the Midway Classic Arcade Keyrings were cheaper because they were blind bag items, and maybe had fewer features than the keychains at Walmart. I ended up buying one blind bag, which I opened as soon as I got home.
When I took the keychain out of the bag, I immediately noticed two things. One: the 'sign' at the top of my keychain was severely askew.
And two: this keychain didn't have any battery-operated features the way the Tiny Arcade line did. It was basically just a heavy lump of dense, rubbery plastic. It still looked sort of cool, but not what I was expecting. To be fair, the packaging said nothing about potential light up or sound or game play features. On the other hand, I also saw no signs of a standard warning disclaimer stating that the keychain didn't actually function.
So hopefully, from now on I'll know. Try researching an unfamiliar product first 'before' I buy it. While it would be unfair for me to judge this keychain based on what I thought it was, as opposed to what it actually is, there are definitely some quality control issues with this product that I think Monogram International Inc. needs to address. For starters, the 'sign' at the top is so far out of alignment that it's pushing out one of the side walls.
Also, the keychain is way too heavy to be used either for storing keys or to accessorize a backpack or purse. It's a good thing that I bought it as a collectible, and not to put to use. It's another good thing that I didn't pay more for it than I did. But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible while presenting my final thoughts for this review.
Good Points:
I do really like the concept of miniature, keychain versions of arcade game machines, or cabinets as they’re called. And this keychain still looks kind of cool visually. However, it would undoubtedly look cooler if it had been assembled properly.
Bad Points:
Along with the glaring quality control errors messing with the overall structure, this keychain also has the disadvantage of being too heavy to be of any practical use, except maybe as an emergency fishing weight for someone stranded on a deserted island. It makes me think of how some Hallmark Christmas ornaments are impressive to look at but are too big and heavy to actually hang on a tree. You can still display them in a curio, but what’s the point of them being ornaments then?
Final Verdict:
Even if I had known more about this product before purchasing it, I think I still would have been disappointed by the slipshod assembly and the impractical weight.
This concludes today’s lesson on the pitfalls of impulse shopping.Signed, Treesa
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