The Wired Age

Yesterday our 4-year-old daughter received a baby doll from her grandmother, a replacement for one that our (former) dog ate. Not for the first time, I marveled at what a pain in the ass it was to extricate the doll and all her accessories from the box: Everything was wired down, taped, and/or wrapped in plastic, and the box itself was difficult to open and disassemble (which was necessary to remove the contents). The process involved an unreasonable amount of cutting, pulling, untwisting, tearing, yanking, and cursing. Since I've encountered this problem many times before and never really understood why toy packaging is so much more complex and consumer-unfriendly today than it used to be, I did a little research and found a 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer article that purports to explain it all. Unfortunately, the story is locked up in the paper's pay-per-view archive (you can also find it on Nexis), but here's a summary.

Toy manufacturers recognize that they're pissing off their customers, not to mention spending a lot of money on all those extra bits of wire, tape, and plastic. But those costs are outweighed by a couple advantages:

1) The restraints keep toys not only intact but in place as they journey from China and other far-off places, so they can advertise themselves through the see-through fronts of their boxes when they reach stores.

2) The packaging that frustrates buyers also frustrates parents looking to replace lost, broken, or missing toy parts on the cheap.

I don't know whether parents have become more larcenous since I was a kid, but see-through boxes certainly are more common, as are long-distance journeys for toys, few of which are manufactured in the U.S. anymore. I could play up another factor mentioned by the Inquirer—"shipping and security regulations set by distributors and governments"—but I prefer to make the point that no one ever said the market was literally miraculous, giving everyone exactly what he wants at a price he likes. Even when there's plenty of competition, consumers still have to make tradeoffs. In this case, they are getting inexpensive toys they can examine in the store without opening the box, but at the cost of additional annoyance when they get the toy home. I will try to remember that the next time I'm unscrewing a plastic restraining strap or getting out the garden shears to cut through a rigid plastic bubble.

Comments

[Dan T.]

Thanks, Jacob. As the parent of a three-year-old, I've wondered the same thing.

Now at the next birthday party my wife forces me to attend I can impress other parents by knowing the answer when one of them inevitably asks.

[smartass sob]

You should have kept the dog - he probably could have gotten the box opened and the doll out.

[Dan T.]

Granted, this line was a little disturbing:

Yesterday our 4-year-old daughter received a baby doll from her grandmother, a replacement for one that our (former) dog ate.

You got rid of the family dog because he ate a kid's toy? That's cold!

[J sub D]

You got rid of the family dog because he ate a kid's toy? That's cold!

Depends on how expensive the toy was and how much the dog was worth/loved, doesn't it.

[jimmydageek]

...Since I've encountered this problem many times before and never really understood why toy packaging is so much more complex and consumer-unfriendly today than it used to be...

Thanks, Jacob. As the parent of a three-year-old, I've wondered the same thing.

Really? You two had a hard time understanding why these things might be packaged in such a way? I know it's frustrating, but it should be fairly easy to understand that it deters theft and prevents the display from shifting around. Anything else you would like answered?

[Umbriel]

Packrat that I am, I keep a lot of those heavy-gauge twist ties that kept my daughter's Barbies in bondage. They're sometimes useful for yard work. Why shouldn't I get a present too?

[Dan T.]

Depends on how expensive the toy was and how much the dog was worth/loved, doesn't it.

True. Perhaps Mr. Sullum had the dog on double-secret probation after establishing a pattern of toy-eating behavior?

[Aresen]

getting out the garden shears to cut through a rigid plastic bubble.

That is exactly what the Medical Industry is hoping you will do and why they lobbied so hard for the rigid plastic bubble.

;P

[sage]

We've gotten into the habit of opening and assembling (if necessary) the toy ahead of time, then putting it back in the box and wrapping it. Then I don't have to get up.

[Jacob Sullum]

To clarify the dog reference: She was a very sweet but highly destructive Labrador who over the course of about six months caused thousands of dollars in property damage, including a smashed laptop computer, chewed-through seat belts and garden hoses, knocked-to-smithereens window blinds, torn and disemboweled pillows, shredded backpacks, trampled plants, and innumerable chewed-to-death shoes. Toward the end, she figured out how to dig under the fence in the yard and get out of her crate at night, so we had no way of controlling her short of constant surveillance. We called the rescue organization whence she came and arranged a return. They put her on Prozac (seriously), and today she is living happily with a dog trainer who owns another Labrador.

[NotThatDavid]

When I read "former dog" I figured you'd made some new advance in genetic engineering.

[Dan T.]

Just giving you a hard time about the dog...it was just the way you worded it.

[Dan T.]

Of course, now I'm worried that Mr. Sullum keeps pillows in his house stuffed full of human intestines.

[jimmydageek]

Sometimes, hyper dogs like that do much better with a companion dog. Or, a kick to the head...

[Shannon Love]

I think that few people who work outside of retail management understand just what a big issue that "loss prevention" i.e. stopping various types of theft, is within the field. Loss prevention governs not only packaging but the design of everything from employee uniforms to the retail spaces themselves. Its always been a big retail concern. The cash register, for example, was invented to prevent employ theft of the till.

When I was a kid, I had a couple of incidents of finding items missing a new toy or game package. At least with the new see through packaging, my children never had that problem.

[Umbriel]

Unfortunately I've noticed a whole new sort of "missing parts" problem -- where there's so much packaging debris that it's easy to accidentally lose small toy parts in it and/or throw them away while you're cleaning up.

[Timmy]

Right! The dog went to live on a farm with a dog trainer, other dogs, lots of room to run, etc.

[poco]

Doggie ADHD!

Sometimes, hyper dogs like that do much better with a companion dog. Or, a kick to the head...

Or to run a lot. The NYT sez dog runners are the new dog walkers (and if it's in the Styles section, it must be true).

On topic, I remember Barbie being well restrained by multiple twisties 25 years ago, though not encased in that hard clamshell plastic.

[Hugh]

On topic, I remember Barbie being well
restrained by multiple twisties 25 years ago,
though not encased in that hard clamshell plastic.

I believe you are thinking of the Betty Page doll not Barbie.

[Doctor Duck]

Depends on how expensive the toy was and how much the dog was worth/loved, doesn't it?

Nope. Sunk cost.

[SugarFree]

I've always wondered if part of the plastic clamshell popularity with retailers is that you have to do so much violence to the packaging to open it, there is a profitable section of the public who will be reluctant to return an undesirable or even defective product in a "destroyed" package.

[Geoff Nathan]

I think it's worth pointing out that this is not a 'toys' issue--all little objects you buy in stores (well, electronic ones, anyway, and cooking things too) are now encased in nuclear-bomb-proof packaging. Consumer Reports has been reporting on this for a while, and the main argument appears to be defense against shoplifting. Interesting that there might be other reasons as well. There actually are increased numbers of injuries caused by people attempting to open blister-packs (I've damn near removed fingers doing it). No great pearls of wisdom to suggest, though.

[grrgle]

Wirecutters, particularly the kind called diagonal cutters, are the best for opening those things. Plenty of leverage, sharp enough and robust enough to cut into those plastic clamshells like butter, perfect for the restraining wires, and safe around hyped-up little kids.

Oh wait, this isn't Hints from Heloise?

Never mind.

[MeanDean]

Here is the simplest and safest way I have found to get through the clamshell plastic:

1) Get a butter knife that you don't care about and an oven mitt.

2) Heat up the knife blade over a stove burner or propane torch. (Hence the need for the oven mitt.)

3) "Cut" your way through the plastic with the super-hot knife blade.

You'll probably have to re-heat the knife a couple times, depending on how big a package you're getting into. This may not seem like the fastest method, but it's one with the least amount of swearing and gashed up hands.

[Lurker Kurt]

chewed-through seat belts

Seriously??

I thought seat belts were indestructible. I don't think I have ever seen an even slightly frayed seatbelt.

[Alan Vanneman]

Dude, if there were a market for "easy open" toys, easy open toys would be on the market already. That's the way capitalism works. You're a minority of one!

[jimmydageek]

Tip for opening those packages:

Something every man should have...a good pocket knife (serrated blade helps)...'nuff said.

Oh, and the ability to not care about destroying the packaging...

[Tom]

As far as action figures go, back around the first incarnation of the Power Rangers (1994) when eager fanboys snapped them up and never opened the packages to preserve their (perceived) "value", toy manufacturers figgered that since the things are never to be played with, just make them look very attractive in their clamshells and fuck anyone who actually wants to break them out.

Recently bought my 4-year-old a G.I. Joe Sigma Something-or-other, who looked totally cool hard-wired into his packaging with a variety of electronic weapons.

We took the little plastic SOB out and he can't even stand up. Also, the battery-powered weapons he comes with make him so top heavy, that even if you do find his standing balance point, he'l topple right over.

So the 4-year-old tossed "the action figure" and just runs around the house shooting the dog with the weapons.

[rho]

Wirecutters, particularly the kind called diagonal cutters, are the best for opening those things.

Nonsense. Box cutters, wielded with great enthusiasm, are the preferred tools.

Helpfully yours,
The Styptic Pencil Association of America

[bob mologna]

I recently bought a 8" fixed blade hunting knife from Wallmart. It came in the indestructible plastic (of course), but it was displayed sitting NEXT to it's sheath. Consider the potential harm you can do when trying to extricate a razor sharp knife with a four inch exposed blade from that packaging. Sheesh... That said, and in defense of Wallmart, this is a heck of a nice knife for $10. Sure it's Chinese made, and the finish is a little rough, but it's decent steel and sharp as hell.

[Vanessa]

Dressing your dolls and decorating their houses are what dolls are all about. Since the accessories that come with dolls - especially the miniature stuff that comes with Barbies - are more fun than the dolls themselves, it makes sense that toy manufacturers would want them prominently displayed.

[J sub D]

To clarify the dog reference: She was a very sweet but highly destructive Labrador who over the course of about six months caused thousands of dollars in property damage, including a smashed laptop computer, chewed-through seat belts and garden hoses, knocked-to-smithereens window blinds, torn and disemboweled pillows, shredded backpacks, trampled plants, and innumerable chewed-to-death shoes. Toward the end, she figured out how to dig under the fence in the yard and get out of her crate at night, so we had no way of controlling her short of constant surveillance. We called the rescue organization whence she came and arranged a return. They put her on Prozac (seriously), and today she is living happily with a dog trainer who owns another Labrador.

I suspected a lab right away. Labs are beautiful and loving critters, but your experience (and mine) show's that pet ownership sometimes just doesn't work out. Sad isn't it?

[J sub D]

I believe you are thinking of the Betty Page doll not Barbie.

Great line. LOL.

[discerning reader]

It's like picking the cherries out of the cake hier.

[bigbigslacker]

"Yesterday our 4-year-old daughter received a baby doll from her grandmother, a replacement for one that our (former) dog ate."

My grandma died too, but we couldn't replace her.

[Always True]

If you can't get the doll out of the box, you're using the wrong gun.

[D. Greene]

I don't buy the 'to secure them in shipping' line.

Apple iPods and laptops, often shipped direct from Asia, arrive in some of the best, easy to use packaging I have ever had to deal with. They travel via the slow boat from China just like everything else, and manage to arrive in tact.

This is just laziness for the most part. As for theft, that is a cost-benefit call that probably has good arguments on both sides.

[D. Greene]

in tact = intact

[prolefeed]

Yesterday our 4-year-old daughter received a baby doll from her grandmother, a replacement for one that our (former) dog ate.

A replacement doll or replacement grandmother? Seems like the best part of the story may have been skipped over ... 😉

[KRK]

Lurker Kurt,

Chewed-through seatbelts are a common side effect of Labrador ownership. Or such was my childhood experience.

[Rhywun]

iPods and laptops ... manage to arrive in tact.

It's gotta be dirt-cheap to melt that bone-crushing shell of plastic around your product, rather than put some thought into packaging that's both attractive and easy to open.

[Dr. K]

Labs are beautiful and loving critters

And they are also gun (sporting) dogs bred to go all day long retrieving fowl you've been hunting. They need ample exercise to deal with that energy and when they don't get it, the energy has a way of dissipating itself in neurotic and destructive behaviors.

A lot of people seem to forget that when considering them for pets.

[Jammer]

jimmydageek

Make sure that knife is a lock-blade. I still have a scar on my right forefinger from when my (non-lock-blade) pocketknife folded up on me when trying to get some RAM out of its blister pack.

This is just laziness for the most part.

Laziness for whom? It must be a pain in the ass to twist all them wires into place. OTOH, we're no doubt providing a bunch of entry-level jobs to the good people of China, so I guess its all good.

[MattXIV]

Apple iPods and laptops, often shipped direct from Asia, arrive in some of the best, easy to use packaging I have ever had to deal with. They travel via the slow boat from China just like everything else, and manage to arrive in tact.

Yeah, but they tend to have oversized packages to protect against impact since there typically aren't that many pieces in them. The ratio of manufacturing cost to packaging cost is also probably still lower in these although they're using better packaging than most toys. They also tend to have floor models to show off in-store. You actually see the same thing with the clamshells for smaller electronic gadgets (jump drives and such).

Toys tend to have lots of small bits and pieces and are a little more impact resistant, so part-on-part scratching is a bigger concern. Hence the lots of annoying twist ties.

As for clamshells, all it takes is an utility knife (or a blade of sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade) and a little manual dexterity. The key is to cut out a flap in the thin part without trying to go throught the part that has been heat-sealed together and to use something sharp so you only need a light touch.

[J sub D]

And they are also gun (sporting) dogs bred to go all day long retrieving fowl you've been hunting. They need ample exercise to deal with that energy and when they don't get it, the energy has a way of dissipating itself in neurotic and destructive behaviors.

No kidding, Sheba would fetch till she died of exhaustion if you let her. Amazing animal.

[Brian Carnell]

Read an article recently about how Mattel is redoing the packaging on Barbie to eliminate a lot of these problems and make the packaging less intimidating.

[Neural]

Blame it on Wal-Mart. Seriously. I brought this up to the packaging engineers at one of the two major battery manufacturers here in the US while I was there to do IT work. I expressed my frustration at not being able to open a package of batteries without risk of serious damage to myself or my surroundings, and they told me that Wal-Mart demanded ultra-theft-resistant packaging or they would refuse to sell the brand in their stores. Since Wal-Mart tends to be the #1 customer of nearly any manufacturer of consumer goods, and batteries in particular are considered essentially equal among the two or three major brands, it was a real threat to the bottom line. Since the other manufacturers were subjected to the same demands, everyone pisses off the customer equally. My guess is that they've used their leverage against manufacturers of all kinds of goods to achieve similar results.

[GILMORE]

Yesterday our 4-year-old daughter received a baby doll from her grandmother, a replacement for one that our (former) dog ate.

This should come with a photo of Jacob coming out his garage with an axe and a menacing look in his eyes

[D. Greene]

Toys tend to have lots of small bits and pieces and are a little more impact resistant, so part-on-part scratching is a bigger concern. Hence the lots of annoying twist ties.

Since when did toys for 4 year olds feature so many tiny parts? This seems counter-intuitive.

[Rhywun]

Blame it on Wal-Mart. Seriously.

Happy to oblige.

[CharlesWT]

There's a tool for opening packages. It probably comes in a package that's impossible to open.

[Joe Dokes]

ARRRRRGHHH!!

Anyone who uses a utility knife, pocket knife, razor blade, or other pointy thing to open packages is ASKING for a trip to the emergency room.

1. For sealed plastic containers. either use kitchen shears or heavy duty scissors used by paramedics to cut off through the heat sealed plastic. They will cut through very easy, and since they use a mechanical wedge rather than a sharp blade they are dull to the fingers but cut plastic easily.

2. for the millions of little twist ties a pair of electronic wire cutters work the best. Just go to town and cut both sides of the twist. the items will fall off.

3. for the little bits of tape now use a box cutter and cut away from your self.

I have a 6 and 3 year old both little girls. I can open anything. I've rebuilt engines with fewer tools than I use to open packages.

Finally, the poster who said they open the toy assemble than rewrap it that is F-ing brilliant. We will be doing that this christmas.

regards

joe dokes

[grrgle]

Neural, funny you should mention batteries. This whole issue was fresh in my mind this morning because yesterday I showed my 7-yo how to open a package of D cells with the diagonal cutters from the kitchen drawer. He knows to stay away from the kitchen knives but those cutters are well within his grasp.

Joe Dokes, roger the trip to the emergency room. I just use the cutters for the plastic and the wire, then pull the tape off with my fingers. No children were harmed in the opening of this package. If you upgrade from the electronic-wire cutters to a pair of Channellock 437 Diagonal Pliers you can save the kitchen shears for cutting butchers' twine.

[dhex]

poultry shears make short work of those turkeys.

[John]

Dude, if there were a market for "easy open" toys, easy open toys would be on the market already.

It's happening. Mattel is experimenting with new "Easy Open" packaging for Barbie. http://www.fastcompany.com/multimedia/slideshows/content/mattels-123-barbie_pagen_1.html. I've seen a few other toys recently that are actually label "Easy to Open" as a feature on the box.