Blink...blink...blink....

[dvandom]

I got one of the new wave of Sigma 6 GIJoe figures the other day (Hi-Tech, with HOUND autonomous drone). It had this blinking red LED in the package that could not be shut off. The whole shelf of them was blinking out of synch (although, if they were IN synch it woulda been kinda scary). I figured, well, okay, light-up gimmick for the toy. Cool.

Tonight I finally got around to opening it up.

The LED has a battery pack with 2 AA's. And it has NOTHING to do with the actual toy. At all. Not even a way to connect it to the footlocker you make out of the package endcaps. It's only there to make the packaging more eye-catching.

I'm old enough to remember when LEDs were actually something kinda special. I know they've been dirt cheap for years, but it's still a sort of future shock to realize that they're now at the level of disposable packaging glitz. Wow.

Comments

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

I think it's not so much the complexity of the packaging (a little plastic and metal ink aside), but the fact that it's powered that makes me raise an eyebrow. How much did it take to create and charge those batteries? And how much toxic waste is that package going to generate when it's thrown away?

And yeah, what's the deal with giving the package abilities that the contents don't have themselves? That's like wrapping a rock in a jukebox.

[5eh.livejournal.com]

THIS IS THE BEST ROCK EVER!