Is anyone in the mood to go back to the 1980s for a toy boombox battle? I hope so! During my research for Part One of the L.O.L. Surprise catch-up review series, I got irrationally intrigued by the L.O.L. Remix dolls that have packaging which combines to make a plastic boombox. I'm a huge fan of the 80s and have really fond memories of boomboxes, so I'm always tempted by this type of vintage, nostalgia toy. I was shocked, however, to discover that in order to assemble the three sets necessary to make the L.O.L. boombox, you have to shell out around $50 ($44.97, ~$51 with batteries).
Most of us would think hard about a $50 purchase, but it's so easy to spend that much (or more) on a few smaller items. Blind bag toys are especially good at tempting people to buy more, because there's always a collection to complete or a highly-desirable but hard-to-find toy in the mix. But if you know ahead of time that you're going to end up spending $50 on a specific assortment of blind bag toys, you have options. Maybe there's something else for that price that you or your kids would rather have. But what is comparable to a freakin' L.O.L. boombox?
It just so happens that for the last few months I've been drooling over another boombox toy that costs $50: Courtney's Sleepover Accessory Set from American Girl. This toy doesn't offer a perfect comparison because, unlike L.O.L. Surprise, there are no dolls included in the set. But it offers an excellent way to put the Remix toys into some context. It also pits the two biggest toy companies in the country (MGA Entertainment and Mattel) against each other. What could be more fun?
So let's check out these two popular $50 boombox-themed toys and see which one comes out on top!
L.O.L. Surprise Remix assortment ($44.97) and Courtney's Sleepover Accessories ($50). |