Saturday, December 02, 2006

Indestructible

There is an article in the Washington Post about new toy packaging - specifically about the fact that it may as well be made from laminated titanium for how easy it is to get the new toy out.

My new prize possession took me about 20 minutes to get out of the packaging. My tools included:

  • Small set of wire cutters (1)
  • Small utility knife (1)
  • Needle nose pliers (1)
  • Hands (2)
  • Adult brain (1)
  • Years of experience working with hand tools (10)

I can only pity the poor 8 year old who gets this toy for Christmas and is not allowed to play with scissors.

"Here you go billy! I bet you can't wait until you get an engineering degree at MIT so that you can reverse-engineer the packaging!"

I've seen Egyptian Pharaohs with less elaborate packaging.

-iRob

“More and more products are coming out in fiercely protective packaging designed to prevent consumers from consuming them. These days you have to open almost every consumer item by gnawing on the packaging.”

-Dave Barry

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I, too, have noticed the inordinate amount of packaging lately. My theory is (especially in cases like your prized posession) that the rediculously strong packaging exists so you do, in fact, have to completely demolish the packaging to access the item - this prevents people from buying the item, taking it out of the package, enjoying it, and then replacing the item in the package and selling it as "mint in package". There just is no way you could do that with the latest My Little Ponies - the packaging is rediculous.

Unknown said...

I had always assumed it had more to do with the toys going missing out of boxes on store shelves, this obviously making it more difficult.

I suppose that it would depend on if the toy makers are more concerned about the ethics and resale value for collectors or the percentage of toys stolen from stores.

But nobody says it can't be both.