Move over CVS – Iris has a new obsession and, turns out, she is far from alone. Iris’ new favorite thing is watching toy unwrapping videos on YouTube. She calls them “egg shows” because the first videos she watched were of Kinder Surprise Eggs being unwrapped, showing off the prizes inside. She found them on the YouTube Kids app all on her own and now that’s all she wants to watch. Whether they are plastic eggs with surprises inside or little packages with mystery toys, she wants to watch it all. Todd and I were totally weirded out by this obsession at first, but when we realized many of the videos had over a million views, we realized this must be an actual thing. Turns out, it is. I’ve posted clips of Iris watching “egg shows” on my Snapchat and have had quite a few people message me to say their kids are obsessed with them too. So then how come this is the first time I’m hearing of it? Are our toddlers all closeted unwrapping addicts?
For some reason it feels wrong to let her watch it. I mean, with Daniel Tiger at least she’s learning something, right? But then Todd pointed out something. Our parents collected baseball cards, for us it was Garbage Pail Kids, for the next generation it was Pogs, and so on. Can you imagine if when you were a kid there was a platform where you could watch someone open every item of whatever it was that you nerdily collected? For now, we let her watch the unwrapping videos (as annoying as they are), but limit her screen time. And the sucker in me has already started shopping for Christmas stocking stuffers – searching for egg surprises and blind bags in the toy aisle. Maybe I can really make her dreams come true and find some at CVS.
Do your kids watch these videos? Not know what I’m talking about? I’ve posted some of her favorites below.
Blind Bags
Egg Surprise
Kinder Eggs
Welcome to the party! We are about a year deep in it. I think it was last year that the Today show even did a segment on this toddler phenom. I am pretty sure they are illegal in the US, but! my sister found them at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Reading, PA. My 4yo’s dreams came true! Let me know if you want some for Iris, I’ll mail them to you. It’s that crinkling sound that sucks them in, I swear!
My 3 year old was obsessed! Is still? It started with the chocolate eggs and magiclip princess dolls and play doh dresses. Then it evolved into shopkins and any type of blind bag or blind box (btw we just bought some my little pony blind boxes at a cvs near us here in NYC).
I think word doesn’t get around on this because then parents have to admit how much screen time they are actually allowing their kids in order to watch these videos haha!
It’s weird and fun and although we also prefer her to watch something with an actual lesson, she’s having fun and that’s kind of cool too
Oh and also! Kinder Chocolate eggs I think are banned in the US because of the choking hazard? My daughters uncle is a pilot and picks eggs up for her whenever he finds himself in Canada. I’ve also come across a few at some local Japanese toy/comic stores
My boyfriend loves unboxing videos and has even been doing his own for flashes and camera stuff. I didn’t even know it was a thing, I thought it was so weird at first. And then when I was in the market for a new tent, unboxing videos were super helpful to see size and how easy things were to set up.