FanMail Subscription Box
In mid November I saw someone mention a mystery subscription box for lady geeks. As I never got around to trying Loot Crate I decided to give it a try. FanMail bills itself as “A mystery box designed for lady geeks (by lady geeks!)“. The November box was themed “Wars Among the Stars.” My reaction was 50/50. There were two items I really liked, and both arrived with minor defects. The rest was either filler or just stuff that didn’t appeal to me.
First up was the set of stormtrooper helmet lapel pins:
I’ll admit I was a bit confused by these and had to Google what to do with lapel pins, but they’re very cute. This was one of the items that arrived defective–both posts were slightly bent despite being packed with foam in a cardboard jewelry box.
Next up was a geeky coloring book:
I like the idea better than the execution. Coloring books are making a comeback with adult versions being very popular, but the designs in this one were extremely simple and they printed each design twice in what feels like an attempt to pad the book. They included a set of four crayons: red, yellow, blue, and green. Astute observers will note that BB-88, like many of the other pictures in the coloring book, cannot be colored in with the selection provided.
My favorite item was the Death Star soap:
It arrived somewhat mushed-looking despite the plastic wrapping, but the scent is very nice.
They included two comics, Leia #1 and Marvel’s 100th Anniversary* Guardians of the Galaxy issue:
As I’ve never ordered a subscription box before, I don’t know if it’s common to include issues of comics that are eight and twelve or so months old, respectively, but it seems like a poor choice; like a large percentage of lady geeks, I already own the Leia comics.
*The “100th anniversary” thing was sort of a joke by Marvel.
The shirt was a Groot design:
I’ll confess to being one of the few nerds on the planet who hasn’t gotten around to seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, so I won’t hold my apathy for the shirt against the box’s curators. The material was of good quality and the design is nice.
Finally we have some temporary tattoos for The Lunar Chronicles:
I can’t really see myself using these. I was intrigued enough to consider buying the book, which I suspect was the point.
I know part of the risk of subscribing to a mystery box is that some of the items just won’t be your cup of tea. I really liked what I saw from their previous boxes on the web site, so I’ll give it one more month before I decide if I want to discontinue my subscription.
Pop Culture To Die For 