Wonderful Objects by Wonder and Company is a quarterly subscription service that brings imaginary adventures to life. This box is always full of unexpected, playful surprises. This time, the theme is "Hidden Door".
Wonderful Objects offers mystery boxes for both Adults and Kids.
This box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is of the Whimsical Adult, $54 a quarter, box.
About Wonderful Objects Immersive Subscription Box
The Subscription Box: Wonderful Objects
The Cost: $54 per quarter with discounts available for longer subscription commitments
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $10 off any subscription!
CODE: WONDERADDICT10
The Products: Hand-picked items and custom-designed ephemera that bring an imaginary scenario, place, or story to life. You'll also get a teaser a few weeks before each box!
Ships to: United States is $9 per quarter and includes both teaser(s) and full mystery box. International shipping is $25 per quarter.
Wonderful Objects "Hidden Door" Subscription Box Unboxing and Review March 2018
The box is topped with a gold-sealed envelope. The stamp is a human heart! OoooOOOooo... I'm already curious!
Inside, there's an info card presenting the prompt for the box, which is... "What if you found a hidden door?" They do such an awesome job cultivating a spirit of mystery in this box! That line "This day you are reborn a Keeper" gave me chills!
Custom Ephemera
Next up is this bundle of documents tied with twine.
Oh my gosh. This letter! I feel like I'm a character in a fantasy novel—like Harry Potter getting his first letter from Hogwarts. My imagination is already running wild trying to wrap my head around who Helena is, what exactly the fate befalling her is, and why it's happening. Was it her fault? Did she do something wrong while in the room? Or is that just the fate of all Keepers?
Okay, so here are a few of the notes mentioned by the letters. These are apparently notes from past Keepers. This first one talks about witnesses strange, unfathomable events, like a crystal functioning as a heart and garden clippings burning in water. I feel like the crow and butterfly doodles should signify something, but maybe they're just coincidental.
On the back, there's a note in new handwriting. This one also talks about the garden and the various hybrids and experiments going on in it. The only curious thing about this page is the note at the bottom, which is written in different pen and handwriting.
There's a map of a British museum, too. Is this where the room exists?
Things get a little more desperate in this note. It's in the same handwriting as the first note talking about the crystal heart. It mentions wanting to open one of the Cartographer's bottles (was the map inside?) and then goes into the idea that the help bell had been removed. Was the urge to open the bottle a good thing (something that would've helped the writer, who I think is Helena) or was her curiosity at fault for the bad things going on around her?
These notes are on the back of that harried note. It talks a bit about the Seamstress making her departure from the room (or the dimension where rooms exist? I'm not sure...) and then goes into talking about the "Keepers Coffer" which maybe has some significance beyond just protecting the key to the room...
Exaltatio V Essentiae Print
This card is an "alchemical drawing" according to the info card. I wonder if the portions of the ring shape are supposed to represent earth, water, fire, and air...
Keeper's Coffer Box
Whew! I am in the middle of quite a story. And it seems the Keeper's Coffer is now in my possession! The lid of this wooden box is covered in metallic gold details and has an antique feel.
Inside, there are more mysteries waiting for me.
The first item? Another note, but few additional answers. It sounds like whatever happened to Helena was not at all planned. But what exactly is Ofelia searching for? I feel like there are things working under the surface that I want to know, but don't know quite yet. Let's see what else we've got.
Bird Scissors
These small sewing scissors were left by the seamstress before she "left" the room. They're so delicate and pretty. I don't know if there will be anything else in the box to use these with, but I can say for sure that if I don't think I'll be able to use these scissors for any task without feeling like a magic spell is about to be cast, hehe!
Zenbunni Lost Salt of Atlantic Chocolate, 0.32 oz. - Buy 5 for $15.00 here
This tiny two-bite chocolate bar looks as magical as it tastes. One of the notes mentioned how people in the "room" world eat chocolate instead of regular meals, so I guess this is my sustenance for this adventure!
Creative Co-Op Marble Salt Cellar and Gold Spoon - Retail Value $25.00
Next up is this 3" square marble salt bowl and gold spoon. Because of the little tag on the bottom of the jar, this was one of the few items I could actually find online. Wow, is it way more expensive than I would've guessed! I will say this small bowl is really hefty—it's legit stone, so it's way heavier than most salt cellars. The spoon is delicate and dainty in comparison with a great shine.
Jacobsen Salt Co. Sea Salt Slide Tin - Retail Value $5.00
The first letter I opened mentioned salts from an island that sank into the sea. According to the letter, I'm to partake of them weekly. This tin of salts is so cute but looks even more magical when dumped into the marble salt bowl. Because it has a brand name on it, it was easy to find online. It looks like this company hand-harvests their sea salt in Oregon. Cool!
Zolia Vera Chamomile and Aloe Vanishing Cream - Buy a 4 oz jar for $22.95 here
I'm not sure how much product is in this little jar, but it seems pretty small (in other words, it's probably not the 4 oz jar listed on the website). It's about 2" wide and 2" tall from the base of the jar to the top of the lid. The cream inside is really lovely—it's packed with natural ingredients that nourish and relax the skin. The site says it can be used as a moisturizer or a makeup primer (though I'm not sure the finish is as smooth as I'd like it to be for something like that). But the letter says to use it as a literal vanishing cream to help me disappear!
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Two Wax Sealed Vials
Last but not least, there are two sealed brown apothecary bottles. The card lists them as "Cartographer's Bottles". Each has a note inside!
This blue-topped bottle has a star pattern pressed into the wax and some mix of salt and what I think is rosemary sprinkled inside. The note in the bottle says "Let not daylight in lest the island of Atlas slips beyond the veil."
This bottle has a snake pressed into the lid. Inside, there's a tiny sprig of what looks like some kind of seaside plant. The note reads "Stand not amazed as she rises from the ash."
The Verdict: The only thing that frustrates me about Wonderful Objects is also the very thing that makes it so much fun—there's no solid explanation for how all of the pieces in the box work together. The idea is that those open ends spark your imagination to fill in and continue the story how you see fit. It's not like an escape room where solving puzzles gets you to a particular end. This box is all about lighting up your curiosity and creativity with the items inside. And boy does it ever do that!
If you didn't notice, my box was missing the key that was listed on the info card. That was a bit of a bummer, but if that ever happens, just contact the Wonderful Objects folks to get a replacement sent out!
While the box may be on the pricey side, especially compared to the retail value of what you get. If I'd gotten all 10 of the items listed on the info card, the average price per item would've been about $5.40. UPDATE: Wonderful Objects started charging for shipping, meaning the price of the box if $63.00 total, and the average price for all 10 items would've been $6.30. (Or $7.00 for just the 9 items I actually received.) That feels a little high to me for some of the odds and ends, but the curation and the context that goes into this box? That makes it worth it to me. If you're in it just for the stuff, I wouldn't recommend this box. But if you're passionate about immersive experiences and storytelling, this should be a magical experience for you!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes! This box is still available if you sign up now.
Coupon – Use code WONDERADDICT10 to save $10 off any subscription!
Value Breakdown: I paid $54 for this box, and received 9 items (the 10th item was missing). That means that the average price of each item is $6.00. UPDATE: It looks like Wonderful Objects no longer offers free shipping, so I actually paid about $63.00 for this box. That brings the average price of each item to $7.00.
Check out all of our Wonderful Objects reviews and the Women's Subscription Box Directory!
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