I was sent a free Curiosity Box to review for my blog. I also get a commission for every subscription I sell. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, this will be my honest impression.
You can subscribe to Curiosity Box on the official website. Use discount code CHURAPE for 50% off your first box.
What is Curiosity Box?
Curiosity Box is a quarterly blind box filled with toys for thinkers. These will be an assortment of books, puzzles, and other hand-crafted science-related items. The idea is that the items in the box will inspire curiosity. The subscription is $60 each quarter, or you can save some money and pay $220 for the whole year. It’s unclear if you can skip boxes you don’t want if you pay for the whole year.
What’s in the Box?
This quarter’s box includes:
Shadow Puzzle: This puzzle is a set of fridge magnets. The idea of this puzzle is that you can arrange the shapes into letters by only using the shadows of the words.
Martian Soil: A soil sample with identical composition to soil on Mars in a bottle with interesting facts about the planet.
Picture Pie: A collection of stencils that break down an image into its parts. The idea is to create an image bit by bit until completing the whole.
Amphical Knot Shirt: A black shirt with an intricate design
Why Knott Book: A book about tying knotts.
And a pamphlet to explain it all
Impressions
The box came neatly packed and had a great presentation. The contents in the box are good quality items, but the collection itself was a bit unimpressive. Don’t get me wrong, the items included in the curiosity box are high enough to merit the price tag, but its true value lies in how much you want these items.
The Shadow Puzzle is a cool idea and the pieces are cut nicely, but its going to look like a bunch of ugly shapes on your fridge if no one bothers to spell out any words.
The Martian Soil is my favorite piece from the set, but it is only going to appeal to kids interested in astronomy. The packaging is cool and the facts on printed on it are neat, but at the end of the day, it’s just a vial of dirt. (This is the only thing from the box I kept).
The Picture Pie is a cool idea. The stencils are nicely carved into nice durable plastic, and the pictures are fine. I like how it forces users to think about drawing differently, but its value greatly diminishes after its first use. The box it comes in is super cute, and the only part of the box I was successfully able to give away.
The Amphical Knot Shirt won’t fade or shrink after the first wash, but its ugly. Unless you like the design, its a dead item.
The Why Knot Book is very cool. The printing is excellent, the format is beautiful, and it includes a small piece of rope to practice knotts with. That said, this book is made for a very specific type of person and can easily become a dead item if there is no interest in tying knots.
If you give each item a price tag, the box is a great deal. The problem with the box is that if there is no interest in the items, it becomes a waste of money. Because of this, the yearly subscription doesn’t feel worth it. Sure you save a couple of bucks, but you also risk receiving a dead box. Looking at previous boxes didn’t inspire any confidence. Choosing every quarter seems to be the safer route, but it still depends on how much you like the items in the box. At 50% off, the box starts to feel a bit more reasonable, but I still don’t think it’s worth it.
Ultimately, it all depends on the kid you’re gifting this to. The kids in my life didn’t care for it, and I didn’t either, but preferences may be different on your side of the screen.
You can subscribe to Curiosity Box on the official site. Make sure you use discount code CHURAPE at checkout for 50% off your first box.
