Fred's Box - Closed

Fred's Box Review

By Emma (Summer 2017)

My son, Thomas, has what my mother-in-law likes to term “little boys’ pockets”. He almost always has some sort of toy in his pocket (along with a few shiny stones and odd bits of fluff), and loves the opportunity to explore the pocket money section in our local toy store. For this reason, I was pleased to be given the opportunity to review the Mystery Box from Fred’s Box.

First Impressions

The box arrived within a couple of days, and it fit snuggly through my letterbox, which I was pleased with, as I live in a rural area and getting to the sorting office isn’t easy. The packaging was sturdy and simple, and the addition of a large orange sticker caught my son’s attention straight away. We opened the box together, and Thomas immediately got excited when he realised it was packed with goodies that could only be for him.

What We Received

The box contained a selection of toys and collectibles, a book and other items, wrapped in tissue paper.

Postcards and Pencil

We received a pencil and four postcards, blank on one side and space to write an address on the other side, so that a child could draw on the card and post it off. These were discarded straight away by my son, who generally has no interest in drawing, but I still felt that this was a nice addition to the box, as I know plenty of other children who would use them.

Ooshie

We received an Ooshie from the DC Comics theme. Thomas loves all things super hero related and already has a large collection of figures from other brands, so he was pleased to have a “baddie” (we got Doomsday, Superman’s nemesis) to add to his collection. He liked how it fit on the end of the pencil, and how he could put it in his pocket.

Star Wars Wristband

The next item we found in the box was a Star Wars wristband. Star Wars is another passion of my little Padawan (or “apprentice” for those not fluent in the ways of the force), and he spent some time putting on his wrist and taking it off again, before declaring it to be “quite cool”. Definitely a wonderful addition to the box and perfect for his age and interests.

Avengers Trading Cards

Thomas currently collects Lego Nexo trading cards, and although he spent a few minutes looking through these cards, he put them to one side quite quickly. That being said, l know that lots of kids do collect these particular cards, and so I thought they were a pretty good inclusion.

Shaun the Sheep Flock Stars

The final collectible in the box was a figure from the Shaun the Sheep animation. Thomas thought the sheep was quite funny, and being a fan of Aardman animations myself, I did find the character quite charming. Another great item for my son, Thomas, to stash away in his little pockets. 

Phonics Book

We received a book from the Biff, Chip & Kipper phonics series. As a parent, I thought this was a great addition, as Thomas is currently learning to read via phonics, and having additional reading material is very welcome.

We read the story together along with my younger daughter, and both children enjoyed the tale. Thomas practiced some of the words in the book, so it was a great way of getting some sneaky learning in with the fun of the box.

Fidget Spinner

So far, fidget spinners have bypassed my son completely, as they were banned very early on in his school. As a result, the fidget spinner in this box was Thomas’s first. It was an instant hit and has been almost everywhere with him since (including the bath).

I thought the inclusion of a toy that is currently such a big craze was a great idea, and shows that the company have really thought about what children would like to see in a subscription box.

Overall Impressions

This is definitely a great box for kids who love all those little pocket money toys that can be traded between friends. I liked how it included a variety of items which meant that Thomas was guaranteed to find something he would like. In terms of value for money, I did a rough calculation based on prices in my local toy shop and online and you do seem to get a lot for your pennies in the box.

I also thought the box would be brilliant as a gift, especially when your child gets an invite to a birthday party for someone in their class that you know nothing about. The box received “two thumbs up” from Thomas, which, in our house, is the ultimate seal of approval.