Marvel Comics Vinyl Album, Series 1 Blind Bag Keychains

I first found out about these keychains when they turned up in a list of search results on Ebay. (I can't remember now what specifically I was searching for.) I don't remember ever seeing these blind bags in stores, and there's no date that I could find on the packaging, so I have no idea what year they originally came out. However, due to the themeing, I'm willing to bet that these keychains were first available for purchase around the same time that vinyl record albums were making their big comeback and Marvel superhero films were all the rage.

According to the packaging, these keychains were "manufactured and distributed by MB Wolverine LLC". Seems to me like a very appropriate name for a company distributing Marvel products, though I doubt that the name is a deliberate X-Men reference. Then again, you never know. I wasn't actually able to find out anything about the company online, except that they were involved in a copyright infringement suit with Hog Wild, LLC. However, I couldn't find any information on that subject that wasn't written in legalese.

Anyway, when these Marvel Comics themed vinyl album keychains first turned up in my search results I was intrigued. I mentioned my fascination with 'retro tech' like record players in a previous post. Also my best friend, as well as more than one of my siblings, are fans of the Marvel film franchise. As you can see from the photo at the beginning of this post, I purchased a set of two blind bags online. According to the packaging, there are 8 different keychains in this series to collect. So, let's open them up and see what I got.

Here's what was inside the blind bags. Each record keychain came with a sleeve made from what feels like poster board. As you can see, I ended up with Captain America and Black Widow. I gave the former to my best friend, who is a huge Captain America fan, and kept Black Widow for my personal collection.

(Note: This post has been in draft for a while. I haven't actually seen my best friend in person since before the Corona virus reached the U.S., and I wouldn't put us both at risk by visiting when local government officials are issuing stay-at-home orders.)

My overall opinion is that these keychains are really fun. The combination of themes is unusual, and I think I've mentioned here before that I'm often drawn to quirky things. I do have some minor concerns over the durability of these keychains. The sticker labels on the records might not wear well. Also, the plastic itself, though it seems to be a decent thickness, does have a rigidness to it that feels as though it would crack if too much weight was applied to it.

However, these types of blind bag keychains seem to be manufactured more as collector's items, rather than as something intended for heavy use. The companies who make these products want consumers to collect a complete set. And let's face it, most people these days don't need eight different keychains to hold their keys. So by evaluating these blind bags the way they were intended, as collectables, it's harder to find fault with them. And I certainly don't regret buying them either.

Signed, Treesa

Nintendo Controller 'Blind Box' Keychains By Tomy

Let me start off by stating that I'm not a gamer, never have been. My cousin S.V. liked to show off his skills playing Street Fighter (or was it Mortal Kombat, I could never keep those two straight), and one of my blind dates tried to get me interested in an immersive, world-building game. But gaming never really appealed to me for some reason. I think part of it may be that I know I don't have quick enough reflexes to be a gamer. My family does have a Wii gaming system, but I've never used it.

I started buying the Nintendo controller 'blind box' keychains for two reasons. One is that I have a weakness for miniatures. The second reason was that when I saw the pictures on the wrapper of what keychains were available in the assortment, I noticed that one of them looked like this.

As I wrote in the last post, I'm nuts about 'retro tech'. And this keychain, with its gold and maroon color scheme and its 'boxy' shape, appealed to me for that reason. I had to have one.

Of course, the thing about blind boxes is that you never know for sure which item in the assortment you're going to get until you open it. And once you open it, it's too late to take it back to the store if it's not the one you wanted. Consequently, I didn't get the keychain above on my first try, or even on my second. I ended up with two different Wii controller keychains before I got what I really wanted.

The reason I was able to get the keychain I was looking for was due to a very specific set of circumstances. First, the controller I wanted was the only one in the assortment that was maroon in color. The second factor had to do with the way the 'blind boxes' were designed. Every one of these Nintendo keychains came in a red container like the one pictured below.

It might be hard to tell from the picture, but these red containers feature a number of small 'air holes'. I'm not really sure why. Anyway, the third contributing factor to my getting the keychain I wanted was that the craft store not far from where I live had taken their remaining stock of Nintendo controller blind boxes and dumped them into a clearance bin in a corner of the store. I spent quite awhile in that corner, peering through the 'air holes', searching for a tell-tale glimpse of maroon. It was difficult, and time consuming, but it worked. I found what I was looking for, and on clearance too.

Of course, I couldn't really be sure until I opened it. I was so nervous and excited that I ripped the wrapper off as soon as I got back to the car. When I saw that I'd gotten exactly what I was looking for I was ecstatic. I don't think the rest of my family understood what the big deal was. It was a little embarrassing trying to explain to them why I wanted a game controller keychain when I didn't even play video games. But in spite of this, I still felt the thrill of finding something that I'd spent so long looking for.

Doll collectors use the term 'grail doll' to describe any doll that they desperately want to add to their collection and that they've spent a good deal of time and energy searching for. So I guess you could say that this particular Nintendo controller was one of my 'grail keychains'.

Signed, Treesa

Update: I managed to purchase the controller keychain pictured above from the same craft store where I'd found the maroon controller keychain. I realized that the pictured keychain was one I didn't already own after spotting the colorful 'buttons' through the 'air holes' in the packaging. There were only two keychains in the assortment that had similar 'buttons', and both of them were ones I didn't already have. The keychains were also still on clearance, so I figured I might as well buy this one. There's now only one keychain from this assortment that I don't have in my collection. However, the chances of me being able to find this one remaining keychain at a reasonable price are not very good. Not only are the controllers no longer available in stores, but both the base color and the 'buttons' on the last keychain I need are quite similar to my previous purchase.

'Retro Tech' Keychains

For some reason, I'm really drawn to items that feature designs based on older technology. Typewriters, record players, audio cassette tapes - if there's a piece of clothing or a home decor item that features one of these motifs, I'm going to stop and look at it. I bought the keychain pictured below solely because it has an audio cassette design on it.

 (According to my online research, Denon is a Japanese electronics company.)

I can't really explain my fascination with this 'retro tech'. Maybe it's because I still remember some of these older technologies. I had a toy typewriter when I was a kid. I still remember how hard I had to pound on the keys to get it to work. I also had a Rainbow Brite record album when I was very young, and I definitely remember my first audio cassette. (It was Trisha Yearwood. Long story.)

Anyway, just to make the point how obsessed I seem to be with 'retro tech', let me tell you a little about the keychain pictured below.

I bought this keychain, not because it's also a pencil sharpener (which admittedly is a handy thing to have), or because I like The Flintstones (which I don't, not really anyway), but because it's shaped like a record player. True, it's a cartoony, 'stone age' interpretation of a record player. But it's still recognizable as a record player.

I've wanted one of these World's Coolest Polaroid camera keychains ever since I saw a photo posted on a doll collector's blog. The camera doesn't actually take pictures, but it does have some moving parts. The 'simulated film' is partially ejected from the camera when you push a button. Just so you know, I did replace the original clip 'finding' with a split ring, because I'm nitpicky like that.

Speaking of cameras, this souvenir keychain from Niagara Falls is shaped like a roll of film. Inside is a paper 'film strip' with photos printed on it. The back of the strip is designed so that it can be used as both a ruler and a telephone directory. (Unfortunately, because the strip retracts it was impossible for me to photograph. But I tried.)

One thing that I'd really like to add to my collection someday is a keychain shaped like a typewriter. I've tried looking for one online, and while I've seen a number of keychains that have pictures of typewriters on them, finding one that's actually shaped like a typewriter has been more difficult. Still, as someone who shops secondhand venues a lot I know that there's always a chance one will turn up at the next flea market I attend.

Signed, Treesa

A Spring Clear-Out And A Resolution (My Blogging Plans)

According to my online research, the idea of spring cleaning has several possible origins. Some think it originated from a custom associated with Persian new year. Others have cited the practice of cleansing the home before Passover. Regardless of how it started, spring has culturally become a time for both cleaning and organizing. And I've come to the conclusion that my draft files are in serious need of both.

I have so many posts for this blog that have been languishing in draft form for one reason or another. I know for a fact that some of the content has become dated, showcasing older products that are now hard to find retail. Normally January and New Year's are associated with making resolutions. However, I'm resolving now to try and get the bulk of my draft posts finished and posted in the coming months, in an effort to clear out the backlog. So stay tuned for, hopefully, a lot of new content.

Signed, Treesa