(If you don’t want to look it up, that means ‘HELLO!’ in Japanese.)
It’s the NEW and IMPROVED YumeTwins!
YumeTwins has just had a big shakeup! They’ve increased the amount of items from five to between six and eight. With this comes a larger variety of items from your favourite kawaii characters, and include more practical items too (hurrah!).
They’ve also got a cool new box design (and shiny new website), which you’ll see in a moment.
With this extra awesomeness comes a slight price increase.
Their one-, three-, six-, and 12-month subscriptions are now $35.00, $33.50, $32.00, and $31.50 per month respectively. At current exchange rates this is £25.77, £24.66, £23.56, and £23.19. Shipping is still free.
You can see their previous prices here, but the difference is not very large, especially in UK pounds, so you’d hardly notice it.
Anyway, let’s have a look at the new look box!
New colours, new font, and the inside is much more fun and decorative than before.
You can definitely see Pusheen in those little characters on the inside.
Another change is that they’ve taken their menu online. Now you log in with the password and you find a list of items, along with details of their monthly photo competition, monthly prize draw, and new YumeTwins ‘share and earn $5’ program.
So finally, on to the contents!
Here we have a Sumikko Gurashi lanyard. Sumikko Gurashi (Things in the Corner) are a bunch of little creatures that come from corners. They each have their own story, and you can find out more about these adorable little guys here.
There was also a possible Rilakkuma version, but this one is cute as all hell.
It’s Hallowe’en in October, so this Hallowe’en themed Sanrio Hello Kitty squishy donut is the perfect seasonal treat!
It’s soft like a plushy, but made of the same kind of squeezy rubber that stressballs are made from.
There were three possible versions: orange, pink, and blue. I’m very glad I got the orange version, because it’s proper pumpkin Hallowe’en colours!
Woah, who’s this guy glaring out at us?
He’s a Kawaii “Higemanju” Cat Gamaguchi Pouch, and is much less sinister than he looks here!
He’s got a slightly grumpy face, but everyone feels a bit misanthropic once in a while! This is one of five possible options.
There’s a little purse-type opening on the top of his head, plus a carrying strap. There’s not a huge amount of space inside, because he’s so fluffy and fat, but you could easily fit your phone and some cash and cards inside.
He’s called Higemanju, which comes from two Japanese words: hige, which means beard, and manju, which is a type of Japanese sweet. Since the cats’ mouths look like kawaii manju shaped beards, they are nicknamed ‘higemanju’!
This Cardcaptor Sakura Pillow Case is a great kawaii item for your home! Again, this is one of three possible designs.
Cardcaptor Sakura is a manga and anime about a young girl who discovers she possesses magical powers.
The pillowcase fits a regular rectangular bed pillow perfectly. It’s made from a lovely satin-y material, and while I wouldn’t necessarily sleep on it (I like cotton bedding) it makes a lovely decorative cushion pillow for your bed!
Another peek-a-boo!
This Round Animal Kawaii Plush is satisfyingly squeezable and huggable. There were six possibles for this plushie, three cats (nyan-tama) or three dogs (wan-tama).
In Japanese cats make a nyan sound and a dog’s bark sounds like wan. Tama means ‘ball’, so these kawaii plushies are called nyan-tama and wan-tama!
They are all cute, but I love this soft calico kitty.
According to the website there should be one further item in this box:
Also included was a My Melody memo pad (picture from their website).
OK, so my thoughts on the new YumeTwins!
Lanyards are, I think, incredibly useful. You’ve got a handy way to carry your keys if you don’t have your bag with you. It also has both a phone loop and a key clip, so you have the choice of how to attach it. There’s even a safety clip release.
I like to attach a lanyard to my phone if I’m going somewhere I want my phone to hand but don’t want it to get nicked! Lanyard attaches to belt loop and phone is safe in my back pocket.
The squishy is seasonal, cute, yet slightly sinister! I never expected to see Hello Kitty in jack o’lantern form! There is something rather comforting about mindlessly squeezing it while doing something else. It might have been fun to have something else Hallowe’en-related, but I don’t actually know how big of a deal Hallowe’en is in Japan, so there might not be that much available.
The plushies are lovely, as always. I’m always amazed how YumeTwins manage to fit things of that size in their boxes! But it goes to show how gorgeous and soft and squeezable they are.
The pillowcase is definitely an example of how YumeTwins are extending their range. It’s a great way to add a little touch of kawaii into your home.
Oh, and Little C’s first reaction to it was ‘Mummy! Sack race!’
The only thing I sort of miss is their menu booklet. I realise it’s more practical and cheaper to produce it online, and it helps to contribute to the higher contents value. However I did really enjoy the little bits of information about kawaii culture in Japan, and Little C always adored looking through it. But it is a sacrifice I’m prepared to make, though I really hope they start adding the kawaii info to their website too.
Regarding value, their items always come from Japan, so while it is sometimes possible to source them in the UK or Europe it can be tricky.
Even with the slightly higher box price now, their value remains superb.
I really love practical items (note my reaction to the bottle cosy in August’s box) so I’m very happy they’re going to introduce more items like this. Of course, they’re keeping the plushie side up too.
This is a great box, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they continue their new improved box!
In case you were wondering who else is enjoying October’s box box of kawaii goodies, here is another bonus picture for you:
A different version of this review first appeared on allsubscriptionboxes.co.uk
