Keychain Goodie Box From Heathersmoo

I know I've said something like this before on this blog, but keychain collectors with an online presence seem to be few and far between. At least I've had trouble finding anyone on the web who shares this hobby. So I was beyond thrilled when I was able to make contact with Heathersmoo. Heather is behind Keychain Of The Day over on Livejournal. I especially enjoy seeing her posts showcasing the keychains she's brought back from her many trips abroad.

Heather and I have been exchanging emails now for awhile. I also found some keychains with the name 'Heather' on them at my local thrift store that I was able to send to her. When I found out that Heather and I both have December birthdays, I sent her a few more keychains as a combination birthday and holiday gift. So, when Heather took a trip to Africa earlier this year, she offered to bring me back a keychain or two for my own collection. She also offered to send me a few of her spare keychains. I wanted to share what she sent here, now that I've gone through the package and have finally gotten everything photographed. A big shout-out and a big thank you to Heather for her thoughtful gift.

Here's a look at the box Heather sent before I unpacked it.

And here's a photo of all the fun goodies that were inside. Along with the keychains, Heather also included a very nice letter, as well as two rooibos infusion packets. Apparently rooibos is steeped in hot water to make a beverage like tea. However according to Heather rooibos comes from the redbush plant, which isn't actually related to the tea plant. This is a good thing to know, since traditional tea is too bitter for my taste. Anyway, let's take a look at the keychains Heather sent me.

Here are the two keychains that Heather brought back from Africa for me. The letter she sent along says that the Protea flower pictured on the one keychain is the national flower of South Africa. Even though over the years I've managed to collect a lot of keychains from places I've never visited, I haven't found many Africa keychains for my collection. So these were really nice to get.

According to the letter Heather sent, she knit this letter T monogram keychain herself. She called it a "T-ring". She even used my favorite color, purple.

Here we have two Webkinz Kinz Klips, a 'Cocoa Dino' and a Dalmatian. Heather made a point of asking me if I already had any Webkinz in my keychain collection, so I sent her a list of what I owned. It's funny, but when I first opened the package I thought the dinosaur was supposed to be a dragon. The Dalmatian makes me think of one of my sister's best friends, who happens to be a big fan of Disney's 101 Dalmatians. I'll be replacing the plastic clips with split ring 'findings', because I'm very particular like that.

Last we have this Rainbow Dash My Little Pony. Heather's letter says that this line of My Little Ponies was originally sold in blind bags at Target stores. Once again, I'll be replacing the clip with a split ring.

I want to say another big thank you to Heather. It means a lot to me being able to share this hobby with someone, even if we never get to meet in the 'real world'.

Signed, Treesa

Walt Disney World Vacation: 2019 (Keychain Souvenirs Haul)

I posted back in March of last year that my family was planning to take a trip to Walt Disney World near the end of 2019. Back then I had this crazy idea that I could save some cash in the long run by shopping for used Disney parks keychains online beforehand. The plan was to buy only secondhand keychains that were priced more reasonably than regular retail, in the hopes that I wouldn't be as tempted to purchase more souvenirs once I actually got to the park. I was also hoping that, if I was tempted at all, seeing the full retail price would send me into sticker shock and I'd put things back without actually buying them.

That was the plan anyway. In reality I not only went a bit overboard with my online 'shopping spree', but I also ended up buying several keychains at the park anyway, though not as many as I was tempted to buy. However, my admittedly limited willpower wasn't entirely due to sticker shock. I was very disappointed by how cheaply made some of the keychains sold at the park were, especially considering how much Disney was charging for them.

Three keychains in particular stand out in my mind. One was a Buzz Lightyear keychain with a battery operated, light-up 'laser'. The proportions of this keychain strongly reminded me of the 'mini Buzz' fast food toy character from the Pixar short Small Fry. However, when I took a closer look I noticed that most of the keychains were already broken, with one arm snapped off and dangling by the wire used to power the light-up 'laser'. There was one keychain that did seem to have an intact arm, but it also had a chipped helmet. Even if I had managed to find one that wasn't damaged, by then I didn't see the point of buying a keychain that was all but guaranteed to break.

The second keychain that disappointed me was based on the ride vehicles from the Alice In Wonderland themed Mad Tea Party attraction. The keychain looked nice, but the plastic used to make it was so thin that I was worried it would crack. The most disappointing moment for me, however, came when I saw the Disney autograph book keychains in person for the first time. I'd seen these keychains before online, and I'd had my eye on them for a while. But when I was looking them over at the park I noticed that the shiny 'plating' on the keyring was already flaking off, on all of them. These keychains weren't cheaply priced either. You'd think that if Disney was going to attach their name to something, and charge so much for it, that they could at least sell a quality product. If nothing else, you'd think they'd want to maintain a good reputation for the company.

As I stated earlier in this post, I did pick up several keychains on my trip. The prices ranged from $3.99 to $9.99, not including sales tax. Half of the keychains I bought were actually from the World Showcase pavilions in EPCOT, and weren't technically Disney themed.

For example, I bought this keychain from the Canada pavilion. Priced at $9.99 before tax, this little black bear with his plaid printed hoodie was one of the most expensive keychains I got on the trip. However, he and his 'brothers' at the store were just so cute that I couldn't leave without getting one.

This keychain came from Epcot's China pavilion. As you can see, it has my name in both English and in Chinese characters. I'm always happy when I find a keychain with my name on it, because this particular spelling seems to be less common. From what I've seen, most keychain manufacturers spell my name without the letter H.

To fully appreciate this next keychain from Epcot's Japan pavilion, here's a little background information. One of the most prominent attractions at the Japan pavilion when I was there was a large store called Mitsukoshi. This store was made up of a series of interconnected rooms, and it took up a good sized chunk of real estate. Because the store was so big, there were multiple register locations strategically placed at different points throughout the building. And at each checkout counter there was a basket of 'lucky cat' figurines for sale. From what I understand, these cat figures with their one raised paw are supposed to bring good fortune. When I found the keychain pictured above of Godzilla in the 'lucky cat' pose, it amused me so much that I bought it. I'm often drawn to things that are quirky, and I'm a bit of a pop culture junkie as well.

Here is yet another keychain from Epcot. This one is based on the Figment character from the Journey Into Imagination attraction. Figment has become a Disney icon of sorts with, I believe, a rather large fan following. I would've preferred a keychain that showed Figment's full body, but this was the only Figment keychain the park seemed to carry.

Speaking of classic Disney attractions, this keychain is based on Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. The figure's mouths can actually open and close somewhat. This Tiki Room keychain was also my other most expensive keychain purchase of the trip, since it was the same price as the black bear keychain I bought at the Canada pavilion.

This last keychain was in fact the first one I bought on the trip. It came from The Lego Store in the Disney Springs shopping district. It was also the least expensive keychain I purchased, priced at $3.99 before tax. Some of you may remember that I already have a different Lego Star Wars Princess Leia keychain, which I showed off in my February Shopping Spree post. This version of Leia has her white Senate robes and her 'iconic' side buns hairstyle.

Well, I guess that wraps it up. All in all, I think I got a good haul on this trip.

Signed, Treesa

Oh My Disney Mystery VHS Keychains (An Update)

Just a quick post here. Apparently, Disney launched another wave of their Mystery VHS 'blind box' keychains. (I reviewed a keychain from the first wave back in January of 2019.) It looks like this newer wave is already sold out on the Disney website though. It also looks like Disney upped the price from their first wave. My guess is they were using the initial run to test the market. The first assortment did sell out fairly quickly, if I remember correctly.
Signed, Treesa

Memory Triggers

I'll be the first to admit that my memory is not the best. I'm lucky if I can remember what I did yesterday. But my keychain collection has sometimes been helpful to me in recalling memories. Now, I won't pretend that I can remember when and where I got every single keychain I own. Given the size of my collection that would be impossible, unless I was one of those more organized collectors who wrote that stuff down. However, it does sometimes surprise me what I can remember about the various keychains in my collection.

For example, I remember that I bought the rocking horse keychain pictured above from the 'trading post' at a girl scout camp. I also remember that I wanted it because I liked the amber color. I had a fascination with amber back then. I think it was because in the American Girl book series that I read growing up, the pioneer girl character wore an amber heart necklace.

There are other keychains in my collection that I bought specifically to help me recall certain memories, memories that may have nothing to do with where or how I got the keychain. One example of this is pictured below, a little red bell keychain advertising Babybel cheese.

I got this keychain from a flea market, but that's beside the point. The reason I have it is because when I was a kid, Babybel cheese was always a very special treat. It wasn't so much the taste of the cheese that I liked. The really fun thing about Babybel was taking the red wax wrapper off the mini cheese wheel. My parents didn't buy Babybel very often, but that just made it all the more special when we did get it. I acquired this Babybel keychain specifically to act as a reminder of that childhood memory.

Another keychain that's linked to a childhood memory is this silver gorilla 'key' from the Philadelphia Zoo.

The Philadelphia Zoo used to have boxes at various animal exhibits where guests could insert a plastic 'key'. When the 'key' was turned, a pre-recorded message gave information about the different animals. The earliest keys were made in an elephant shape. My mom still has a vintage, green elephant key, and I remember her letting us use it in the early 1980s. The boxes were taken down for a time, but they were brought back in the 1990s. When this happened, the zoo began selling keys in other animal shapes. The shapes chosen were usually tied to a special exhibit that was being featured at the zoo, and they were only available while supplies lasted. There was a lion key, a bear key, a lorikeets key, and a white alligator key, among others.

My family was very excited about the new 'zoo keys', and my parents ended up buying a number of them. I think my mom was even more excited about the boxes return than us kids were, and that's saying something. Sadly, the boxes rarely seemed to be in working order, and in the early 2000s they were taken down again. But I still remember some of the excitement we felt whenever a new key shape was announced. So when I found a silver gorilla 'zoo key' second-hand, I picked it up for my keychain collection.

Almost anything can be a memory trigger, whether it's a certain smell in the air, the opening notes of a song, or a physical object. I just happen to use keychains to help me recall and preserve my memories.

Signed, Treesa

(Update: While this post was in draft form, The Philadelphia Zoo decided to reinstate the 'zoo key' activated 'storybook boxes'. Judging from archived news articles that I read online, there was a lot of anticipation built up for the relaunch. But I don't know how well the new 'zoo keys' sold.)

World's Smallest Hot Wheels 'Blind Box' Keychain (A Review)

Let me start by saying that this review might be a little dated. While I'd seen other World's Smallest Hot Wheels products in stores before, I'd never seen the Hot Wheels blind box keychains until recently, when I spotted a case of them on a shelf at a Target store in Delaware. However, I'm not actually sure when these keychains hit the market. The copyright date on the blind box is 2018, so there's a possibility that these keychains were actually released last year and that I just never saw them in my area before. Whatever the case, I'm going to post this review in the hopes that it's still relevant to somebody.

I love the World's Smallest line of products, and I wish more of them were available in keychain form. They remind me of the old Basic Fun keychains, with their miniature representations of classic toys. So when I saw a case of World's Smallest Hot Wheels blind box keychains at Target, I was thrilled. I know I stated in a past post that I usually have bad luck with blind box items. However in this case, the blind box factor wasn't something I was concerned about, since it didn't really matter to me which of the mini diecast Hot Wheels cars I ended up with. What really piqued my interest was the 'retro' replica packaging that made up the bulk of the keychain.

Here's a photo of the blind box itself. A sample keychain is pictured on the box, as well as a photo of one of the mini diecast cars sitting on a stack of coins to show the scale.

And here's a picture of the actual keychain I received. In my opinion, the 'retro' packaging is what really makes this keychain. It just looks cool. However, I get the impression that this keychain was designed more as a collector's item than as a functional keychain, since the details on the front and back are printed on stickers. Stickers don't tend to hold up well over time, especially if they're subjected to heavy wear and tear.

The main problem I have with this keychain, however, is the small access panel in the back that is supposed to open so you can remove the car. I had a lot of trouble getting that panel open. I ended up having to use way more force than I was comfortable with, and during the process I was worried the plastic hinge was going to snap. Once I had it open, I decided to just leave the car in there, rather than trying to pry out the small plastic shell that was holding it in place. But when I tried to close the panel again, I had some trouble getting it to go back in and stay closed. As you can see in the photo below, the black plastic at the corners is sort of ragged looking.

The whole access panel feature seems poorly designed to me.

As a side note, the keyring part of this keychain isn't like any keychain 'finding' I've ever seen. It's round, like a split ring, but it actually functions like a carabiner. I've never seen a circular carabiner before. Also, there was something else in the box that sent my nostalgia factor through the roof.

A mini product catalog, just like the ones Basic Fun used to put out back in the day! Unfortunately for me, most of the products shown in this catalog aren't keychains. But on the plus side, this catalog was a lot less tricky to refold than the old Basic Fun product catalogs.

Below is a list of what I see as the good points and bad points about the World's Smallest Hot Wheels blind box keychain, along with my final verdict.

Good Points:
If you miss the old Basic Fun keychains as much as I do, then these World's Smallest Hot Wheels keychains should be right up your alley. For once, the blind box aspect wasn't an issue for me, although it might be a problem for people who are planning to buy more than one keychain.

Bad Points:
While using stickers for the details was probably the easiest and most cost effective option, it might take away from the long term durability of the keychain. Also, the access panel in the back was poorly designed and is difficult to use.

Final Verdict:
Although there were a few issues with this keychain that disappointed me, these issues didn't completely detract from my overall enjoyment of the product. However, the fact that I bought the keychain as a collectible and not to use as a keychain makes it easier to overlook certain things. It probably also helped that the price was what I consider reasonable.

Signed, Treesa

Brick By Brick (Lego Keychains)

I've been on a bit of a Lego kick recently. I'm not exactly sure why. I mean yeah, my siblings and I played with Lego when we were growing up. My sister K. was especially good at building Lego floor plans for houses. I even had one of the larger pirate ship playsets. Although if I remember correctly, my parents had to help a lot with the assembly work on it.

But lots of kids grow up playing with Lego. I wouldn't consider myself an AFOL, as grown-up Lego enthusiasts sometimes refer to themselves. AFOL stands for Adult Fan Of Lego, and I only know that term because I borrowed a DVD copy of the Lego Brickumentary from my local public library. Anyway, I think my current interest in Lego keychains can be linked to two main factors: more licensed minifigures and easier accessibility.

For some reason, I'm really drawn to the licensed Lego minifigures. There's just something amusing to me about seeing a human film character translated into Lego form. However, since I need another collection like I need a hole in my head, I've been trying to limit myself to buying the minifigures in keychain form. After all, I've been collecting keychains since childhood, so it's not as if I'm starting a new collection from scratch. Although, I did pick up a few Lego Disney blind bag figures for my box of Disney collectables, but that's another story.

In the past, I have purchased a few Lego keychains here and there for my general collection.

For example, these two holiday themed keychains, representing Santa Claus and an angel respectively, were bought secondhand at different times.

And this Lego minifigure keychain of Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter franchise was found at a thrift store for a fantastic price.

Every once in a while, I'd even purchase a clearance priced Lego keychain or two from one of the official Lego Stores, if my family happened to be at a mall that had one and they wanted to stop.

The purple Lego brick keychain and the Lego minifigure keychain of Indiana Jones' father that are pictured above both came from The Lego Store.

These next two Lego keychains, of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 from Star Wars, were also bought from Lego Stores though at different times.

The Yoda minifigure keychain pictured above actually came from the Lego Store connected to the Legoland Discovery Center attraction at Plymouth Meeting Mall in Pennsylvania. I also purchased the Discovery Center souvenir keychain shown below there as well.

My family and I didn't visit the actual attraction, but we did take a look in the store. But then, there are a number of souvenir keychains in my collection from places I haven't actually visited. (See my "Armchair Traveling" post.)

However, the main problem I've had with shopping for keychains at authorized Lego Stores is that all of the stores closest to me are too far away to visit regularly. And forget about shopping for Lego keychains online. Once you tack on the shipping costs, it becomes very difficult to find many real bargains, though not impossible. The Lego minifigure keychain of Harry Potter shown below was purchased online to compliment my Hermione Granger minifigure keychain. Now I just need Ron Weasley in minifigure keychain form.

However, ever since Andy's Brick Shop opened at one of the local malls, it's gotten a lot easier for me to get my hands on reasonably priced Lego keychains without having to worry about the shipping costs I'd need to pay if I shopped online. Andy's Brick Shop is an independent Lego store that sells a lot of secondhand pieces and sets. I've mentioned the shop before in my "Disney Keychain Shopping Spree" post.

This minifigure keychain was one of my early purchases from Andy's Brick Shop. I'm guessing it was originally sold as a souvenir in Orlando, Florida. There is a Legoland theme park near that part of Florida, as well as a Lego Store at the Walt Disney World resort. However, I'm honestly not sure which of those locations this keychain would have come from, if either.

I bought the keychain above at Andy's Brick Shop because my best friend and two of my sisters are fans of the Marvel Comics superheroes film franchise, known collectively as the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the MCU. This minifigure keychain is based on the Black Widow character from The Avengers. Actually, I think the main reasons I bought her were because I just really liked both her hairstyle and her facial expression. But thanks to my best friend and my sisters, at least I actually knew who she was when I purchased her. I can't exactly say the same about my next keychain purchase.

Another Andy's Brick Shop find, this minifigure keychain is based on a character from the Disney live action film Prince Of Persia. I've never seen the movie, but this figure had sort of a 'Princess Leia' vibe to me which I liked. Granted, I might feel differently if I actually knew anything about this character.

When I found this keychain, I knew right away that it was a hobbit character, despite the missing tag. Lego hobbit minifigures have shorter legs than full sized minifigures. However, I wasn't entirely sure which hobbit this was. I was kind of hoping it was Sam. But when I looked this keychain up online, it turned out to be Bilbo. It's still an interesting figure though.

Not only is Andy's Brick Shop well stocked, the owner is also very knowledgeable. He was able to help me identify this Lego minifigure keychain that came in a grab bag I bought from a thrift store. Apparently, this figure was from the Lego Insectoids line.

Ok, so maybe I did go a little overboard on my 'Lego kick'. But I can stop anytime I want, honest.

Signed, Treesa

Update: Thanks to Andy's Brick Shop, I was able to get my hands on this Lord Of The Rings Frodo minifigure keychain. So now I have my second Lego hobbit. Although, not everyone seems to think this keychain bears a good resemblance to Frodo. Someone online compared the likeness to actor Michael Landon in Little House On The Prairie. I think it must be the hair, and maybe the suspenders.

Midway Classic Arcade Collectors Keyring blind bag (A Review)

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