It’s time for another Loot Crate unboxing. Or rather, unboxings!
Warning: image-heavy post ahoy!
Item Info:
Hello Kitty and Friends Small Gift Loot Crate: Retro Rewind
Loot Crate x Sanrio
Release Date: Summer 2019
MSRP: $39.99
Hello Kitty and Friends Small Gift Loot Crate: 45th Anniversary
Loot Crate x Sanrio
Release Date: Autumn 2019
MSRP: $39.99
About:
These are the second and third crates in my 1-year quarterly Hello Kitty and Friends Loot Crate. Recently, Loot Crate has switched Hello Kitty and Friends to be a bimonthly shipment instead of quarterly, so keep that in mind if you’re interested.
Photos:
Thoughts:
While a lot of people have been trying to get or demanding refunds from Loot Crate because of delayed shipments, the main reason I wanted to hang on was because of the 45th Anniversary crate. Forty-five years is quite a milestone, so that would be a perfect time to have some neat, exclusive goodies.
That being said, Retro Rewind was due in June, the other in September. So one box was almost six months behind, the other three months. Both had been pushed back multiple times. I mentioned this issue in my previous unboxing, but with new owners, I was hopeful that Loot Crate would be able to fulfill its obligations more quickly than before. A tracking number for my Retro Rewind did appear on November 25th, but mine wasn’t actually shipped until December 26th. As I was trying to find more information about why my tracking number still showed waiting for package, I did see some people got theirs by the beginning of December. So compared to some other subscribers, I got my Retro Rewind shipment a month later. And no, I don’t know why there’s such a discrepancy and if others are still waiting for that box. Either way, geez, that’s bad. The other one seems to be more in line though. We’ll see if the December 2020 crate manages to be “only” two months behind or if it will be delayed.
As you can see, the two boxes have a significant size difference. The 45th Anniversary Loot Crate is about 1″ deeper than the Retro Rewind box, but otherwise, it’s significantly smaller. Although it’s still slightly heavier than the previous Out of This World Crate, it did make me nervous. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. After all, by the time you factor in tax and shipping, these boxes are approaching $50 if you don’t have a coupon and choose a month-to-month plan.
Up first is Retro Rewind.
The trinket is a little card/letter. I got My Melody, but there were several versions available.
First is a shirt. This is a very cute pattern with several Sanrio characters along with a 80s/90s party theme. This pattern is seen on several products in this crate, including the box. It’s cute, and while it doesn’t have the cool effects of the previous shirt, I like how the design is more natural and unbalanced versus a perfect circle that looks stamped on.
The tank is an apology gift for the delayed shipping. This item was a random pick from an old crate. Cute but I hardly wear tanks. Doesn’t usually get that hot where I live. Better than nothing though.
The tumbler I was realllly hoping for Tuxedosam. I’m sure most of you can guess why. But when I saw the box that he was the ultra rare version, well, I knew my odds weren’t good. Ended up with the rare one. It’s a bit of an odd shape. It looks and feels like a glass soda can. For a moment, I thought maybe you were supposed to slide a can into it because it would seem to fit perfectly. Think glass is a little small for that though.
The metal lunchbox continues with the cute theme. Very cute. I like how it looks like a tape.
You can see the front and back of the socks. It’s that thin stretchy/rubbery material.
Finally, the Pocaccho pin is nice as well. Really stands out.
The 45th Anniversary Loot Crate kicks off with a plastic mini dresser. Looks and feels like cheap plastic. Different characters were available. Odd though that it wasn’t just Kitty or different versions of Kitty because everything else is just her by herself.
Honestly not a fan of the grey background on the shirt. Got all these pictures made up mostly of primary colors and white and black, and then the shirt itself screams basic work-out tee that you’d get all sweaty. Maybe it’s just me.
The figure came in regular and a gold version. Interesting that all the other images of Hello Kitty in this Loot Crate are of her sitting in a blue dress or jumpsuit, but this figure is just a regular standing Kitty. You’d think at least the box would match the figure’s outfit and stance. But I think it’s a nice size. On the smaller side, but large enough that it isn’t keychain-size or hard to tell what it is.
I like the “1974 to forever” on the pin, but otherwise, I wish it was colorful versus the metal coin-ish look we got.
The mirror was a little hard to swing open, but I admit it did take me back to when I was a kid. Not really sure of why they went with a fake wallet appearance instead of a compact or even Kitty’s face, but whatever.
The journal has a puffy cover. Another nostalgic item. I almost put it away without looking inside because, let’s face it, why would I need to, but good thing I did. It’s frickin’ grid paper, not lined paper! So it’s really only useful for math class or an Asian foreign language class. That’s not really what most people would consider a small Hello Kitty-themed journal for. At least you can pull out the paper and replace it.
Final Comments:
Between the two, Retro Rewind was the better crate in my opinion. I think the journal was the nail in the coffin in this decision. Although it’s an exclusive, it feels like they went hunting for a cheap factory already making stuff for China or Japan and brought it over, not something made for the majority of Loot Crate customers. Either that or it just was the cheapest paper they could find. The 45th Anniversary theme also looks like a lot of merchandise readily available versus Kitty and friends rocking out at a party.
So, unfortunately, Loot Crate is still plagued by delays, and they may still be caught in a spiral as subscribers cancel because of this. Was it worth the wait? Well, fortunately, I am patient, but I certainly understand why people are frustrated. I was too at times. But I am glad it wasn’t just leftovers from previous crates or generic items you can get anywhere. I still think that will happen eventually as Loot Crate is still struggling. But I don’t know about moving it up to bimonthly at a time when they’re already backed up. I mean, we all know why (to get more money), but one of the things that drew me to this crate was that a lot of the boxes matched the seasons. It is also higher priced than a lot of the other crates to balance out it being larger and more infrequent.
Value-wise, it depends on how you see the shirt and stuff. Lots of shirts come in the $20 range, so that would be a significant portion of each box. Mark it down, though, and the other items have to make up the difference. Be interesting to see what the final box looks like and if it has more misses like the puffy journal that isn’t worth whatever the estimated value is. It is better than some of the other recent Loot Crates since it had all new exclusive items, which I guess is thanks to the higher price. Doesn’t seem like they’re going to do 50% off again though. That’s not surprising, but even then, with it having two more boxes a year, that’s a lot of money to put upfront. But I really liked Retro Rewind.
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Wow, those are some pretty long delays! That tumbler looked pretty cute though, too bad you didn’t get the Tuxedosam one.
Yeah, I’m afraid if they don’t get that fixed soon, they’re not going to be able to survive even with the new owners.
Guess they know penguins are cool (pun intended) and made Tuxedosam the ultra rare!
Nice! I picked up some Hello Kitty sake at World Market. . .
Those bottles are so pretty. Hope you or whoever you bought it for enjoys it!
I do like the style of the retro rewind, the 45th seems very very basic. I do like the figure with the 45th one but compared to Retro one which is SUPER colourful and happy, I think I would feel kind dissapointed with the all red.
It seems like most products Sanrio made for the 45th Anniversary line followed this same style. I was hoping for something more exciting, too. Her 40th Anniversary stuff was better IMO.