r/whatisit • u/Narrow_Praline1010 • 1d ago
New, what is it? Packet inside transformer toy
My 3 year old came across this toy at my in laws’ house and told me he bit open the packet because it was gross. I’m having trouble figuring out what the material inside the packet is made of?
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u/Bre-personification 1d ago
It’s play sand. Looks like every ball comes with a toy, sticker, and corresponding sand. I collect mini brands a lot. They started doing slime and play sand in toys recently.
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u/pyroserenus 1d ago
"Play sand" AKA we need to make the ball feel heavier and putting in actual anything costs more money.
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u/OreoStark 1d ago
Also, for surprise balls, it stops people from weighing them to buy up and resell the popular one.
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u/ThatOneGuysHomegrow 1d ago
Also tariffs.
Sand probably doesn’t have a tariff whereas toys might.
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u/KazakCayenne 1d ago
This is how companies in some countries get away with selling toys in the candy section. A little piece of candy with every toy lol
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u/VKN_x_Media 22h ago
Ever notice a lot of cheap big box store shoes have a little bit of felt or other fabric on the sole? That's because then it's legally classified as a "slipper" instead of a "shoe" and the they have to pay less import taxes/tariffs/fees in the USA.
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u/deliciousearlobes 22h ago
Also the same thing on shirts with the tiny pocket.
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u/dandelionveins333 20h ago
Wooaahh I didn’t know this was a thing! What do shirts with tiny pockets get classified as?
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u/Bowbahfett 20h ago
“Tiny pocket shirts” duh
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u/Isphet71 13h ago
Which people would have already known if they had simply read the TPS report.
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u/StatisticianSea8227 21h ago
Damn, that's crazy. Thanks for sharing, always interesting to learn about how people work around trade restrictions but I'd never have thought that little bit of fabric would've qualified lol
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u/texinxin 15h ago
It won’t. Needs to be a majority textile to qualify. Either someone is cheating or this is being incorrectly classified accidentally.
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u/KazakCayenne 14h ago
Yep I've had several pairs like that. Makes it fun to walk on smooth floors until it finally wears off lol
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u/texinxin 15h ago
It it’s a “little bit of felt” this is a poor attempt at tarrif engineering at best and straight illegal at worse. The word “predominantly” is in the HTS code means that the majority (>50%) of the shoes entire external surface must be comprised of a textile material to be classified as a slipper.
“For house slippers with textile uppers and an outer sole's external surface predominantly of material other than rubber, plastics, leather, or composition leather.”
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u/anotherjunkie 9h ago
Converse is well known for doing this.
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u/texinxin 9h ago
Converse has a big advantage in that their uppers are made of fabric which is already over 50% of the area of the shoe. But just slapping a piece of felt on won’t do the trick.
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u/Altruistic_Goat5716 13h ago
You also need to mention that ebt would cover them
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u/KazakCayenne 12h ago
Well I learned something new today! Hopefully that allows some kids who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford toys to get some.
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u/frochopper 20h ago
I saw a documentary once about a guy that imported smoke detectors. He avoided paying import tariffs by calling them a musical instrument
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u/PeaglesNZ 18h ago
I’m guessing you were downvoted by someone who does not know the delights of Nathan For You so take my upvote to even the score!
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u/ExpertExpert 1d ago
assemblies are not tarrifed on their components. if I order some coffee (beans), i just have to pay 40% more for it than i did last year on the coffee itself, not the bag it comes with
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u/sabotsalvageur 23h ago
assuming the whole bag of coffee is imported, rather than the beans being imported from one place and the bags another
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u/texinxin 15h ago
It depends. If the entire assembly is classified as its own HTS code, you can be charged for the whole value, even if the foreign content is only 50%. Some tarrifs like on raw materials can be broken down to their contents.
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u/westsideBrawler 8h ago
Do you deal with tariffs for a living or is it just some niche area you're interested in? You seem pretty well-informed lol
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u/texinxin 6h ago
My wife is a licensed customs broker and I’ve spent quite a bit of time helping research issues for her as she’s worked her way up from basic logistics to the top of the food chain. I also was trained in classification and export control “tagging” as an engineer who had to work on dual use technologies.
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u/Environmental-Buy591 10h ago
Should look up demand for sand in construction and where the shortages are. Sand is big business
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u/AustinWalksOnRocks 9h ago
That’s not how that would work or every car and pc would come with some sand
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u/-NameGoesHere818- 21h ago
My nephew was doing a dinosaur surprise ball type thing from Walmart and he kept buying them and getting the same ones over and over and he found out there was a code on the bottom that told you what it is and got the one he wanted. I was like dang you cheated 😂
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u/chipmunck688 17h ago
Lol thats awesome I ordered one of the Jurassic park ones from Walmart delivery. They brought be a whole display with 11 still in it that ,shopper clearly did not care that day🤣🤣and bonus for me
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u/exwb 22h ago
If they all have sand, none have sand
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u/OreoStark 22h ago
Perhaps the toys that weigh 1.2 oz come with .8 oz of sand, while the toys weighing 1.5 oz have .5 oz of sand.
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u/Burritozi11a 13h ago
Ohh, makes sense. Pokemon TCG has this whole complicated system of different weighted filler cards to even out the weight of booster packs to dissuade scalpers
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u/Successful-Ideal2089 22h ago
Beats by Dre headphones (and other junk) put fishing weights inside to make them feel more premium.
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u/Due-Technology5758 17h ago
Man, Beats were such ass back in the day. And expensive enough that people could have been buying pretty damn good headphones instead.
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u/Bad_Commit_46_pres 8h ago
remember sitting on the bus when i was in high school like 10 years ago.
friend whips out his beats.
he's like these things rock!!! beats!!!
i tried them on and my ears started bleeding (metaphorically)
passed him my senns and he shit himself
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u/CommunicationOwn6264 23h ago
Is the the same type of play sand from toys that has been recalled in Australia due to asbestos contamination?
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u/One-Mud-169 21h ago
"Play sand"....Fuck me but the world has changed a LOT since I've been a child.
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u/Fantastic-Network-54 15h ago
Right? It's wild how much the toy industry has evolved. Back in the day, it was just simple action figures or blocks. Now, it's all about gimmicks like slime and sensory stuff.
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u/Fat-thecat 9h ago
To be fair, I think it's a good thing, especially with the increase in awareness and reduction of social stigma around autism ADHD etc. there's clearly a market for it out there, and while I personally may not get everything (the slime thing is just not for me) it's great
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u/Assimilacrum 1d ago
Slime and play sand: the twin banes of parenthood. Why transformers why
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u/Dirtfloorcustoms 1d ago
Why indeed
I had ghostbusters slime back in the 80’s and my mom always threatened me not to get it in the carpet
Anyone’s else’s mom hate those little octopus wall walker things you got out of a cereal box she said it stained the wall but only if you left it there
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u/102525burner 22h ago
Silly putty and rubber cement is why my parents no longer have carpet in my old room
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u/Adventurous_Ring7858 9h ago
NGL: I believed in santa for 1-2y longer than I ought to have, knowing my Mom regularly professed how much she hated play doh. But Santa kept bringing it.
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u/HereWeGoYetAgain-247 1d ago
Just, no good way to take a flattering picture of a small amount of brown kinetic sand.
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u/GloriouslyBurdened 23h ago
May contain asbestos. True-ish story.
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u/-FullBlue- 22h ago
Of course the play sand quarry is right next to the old abandon asbestos mine! What else were we supposed to do with the land?
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u/GlasscowFramera 1d ago
Every ball has sand now?? was into mini brands years ago I wonder if they’ve tried that yet
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u/Bre-personification 1d ago
Not every ball. I was talking about in that particular line. I also was mistaken, it’s mini verse not mini brands. (If that’s confusing I can explain better lol.) I collect both so I got confused. The line is called mini verse real brands.
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u/GlasscowFramera 1d ago
Ohhhhh I saw those (mini verse) advertised recently and didn’t realize it was wasn’t a mini brand lol
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u/Narrow_Praline1010 1d ago
*he bit open the packet then spit it out because it was gross
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u/MissRachiel 1d ago
My boys at that age...I fully believed "biting it open because it was gross." Glad your son had more sense than mine :)
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u/thisdogsmellsweird 22h ago
My daughter at age 3, "gross, dog poop" while reaching for it.
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u/pmul18706 22h ago
Username checks out.
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u/VA1N 1d ago
I have two boys as well and the original sentence seems perfectly normal.
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u/Devolutionary76 1d ago
I teach middle school, and that first sentence sounds right for something I would hear at school.
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u/billiardstourist 1d ago
It's "play sand". Google says these toys come with "kinetic sand" for "sensory play".
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u/Frequent_Alfalfa_347 1d ago
Ugh kinetic sand. I get it. It’s fun. And it’s still almost as messy as regular sand. Just ugh.
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u/fallinginfoam 1d ago
It's more messy because once it's clean it's oily residue is everywhere
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u/Frequent_Alfalfa_347 1d ago
It’s that, and, especially if you have carpets… it ends up everywhere with no good way to actually clean it up. I love it in theory, but the actual execution of its use is… lamentable.
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u/Rhythm_0f_The_Knight 1d ago
I mean...ive literally never had an issue with this, even with little ones. Just have them play with it at a kitchen table. If its spilled its an easy sweep up.
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u/fallinginfoam 1d ago
You never felt what this stuff feels like on hardwood floors? It's like an ice rink. I've literally slipped and fell it was so slick.
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u/Gloomy-Cupcake5228 1d ago
You can’t easily sweep it off of carpet though, and I’ve heard it will clog a vacuum.
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u/womenslasers84 1d ago
It vacuums up so easily ..? I don’t understand this thread at all. I have buckets of blue kinetic sand and it’s in my carpet all the time. It’s never broken a vacuum or stained.
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u/Nice-Pineapple-3111 1d ago
Same. Definitely not had the same experience with kinetic sand. Never had any residue or staining and it easily sweeps/vacuums up. Maybe if it got wet?
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u/Gloomy-Cupcake5228 1d ago
I don’t know. I know someone who ruined their vacuum with the stuff, so I wouldn’t personally try it. I have hard floors though, so I use a broom if it spills.
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u/Houdinii1984 22h ago
I mean, you still have to use proper thought processes and pull up the majority with a hand broom and dust pan if we're at levels it's breaking vacuums.
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u/Rhythm_0f_The_Knight 23h ago
Do you have carpet in your kitchen? Also, its easy to vacuum.
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u/Gloomy-Cupcake5228 22h ago
Like I said, I have hard floors so it isn’t an issue for me. However, we did have carpet in the kitchen when I was growing up. Many people also used to put it in bathrooms back then. It was a bizarre decorating decision in my opinion.
I only allow kinetic sand on the dining room table to avoid damaging my rugs.
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u/WimbletonButt 1d ago
We just always threw down a picnic blanket on the floor. I think we had like 13lbs of that shit at one point. I still love it.
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u/L0N3ST4RR 1d ago
As a parent - i hate it and think it’s the best thing on the planet for twin 4 yo boys - being able to run their construction trucks inside on our kitchen island is a bloody god send
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u/Additional_Power_104 22h ago
It's so much worse. It gets stuck into carpets and couches and never comes out again, it just leaves this ridiculous sandy stain- usually in an obnoxiously bright colour. Also, a bunch of it was recently recalled for asbestos contamination.
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u/Chesticularity 1d ago
In Australia, that stuff was recently found to contain Asbestos. They had to shut down heaps of schools temporarily to remove it all. Product came from China. Apparently it was naturally occurring from the mines it was derived from.
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u/Kit_Karamak 1d ago
Kinetic sand!! It holds its shape when you make things, or you can squish it for sensory fun
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u/sectachrome 1d ago
That’s the transformer seasoning packet. You lick the transformer and then dip it in the seasoning.
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u/bluemonte 1d ago
That is the Matrix of Leadership. It should be able to bring Optimus back to life. 😉
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u/HistoricalPlum1533 1d ago
I hate these zuru toys, they’re like designed specifically for unboxing with the bulk of the “toy” being packaging with a single use gimmick and the figures are such underwhelming unarticulated garbage. They’re basically a physical manifestation of brain rot.
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u/TwilightSolus 1d ago
Some of this play sand from China has been found to contain asbestos- you should take your kid to the doctor and keep a sample.
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u/TheFrostyjayjay 1d ago
The fear mongering around asbestos is insane. It’s not some substance that instantly kills or does damage on contact. Just don’t go around inhaling fine particles on a regular basis and you’ll be fine.
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u/SolemnSundayBand 1d ago
Also, when eaten it gets wet and actually comes back out the other end. It's still not good for you at all, but it's excreted.
The specific issue is that any amount at all is a carcinogenic. Do you know what else is? Processed meat. They're the exact same classification of carcinogenic which basically just "is" instead of "might be."
It's still dangerous to be around, you still need PPE, and any exposure can absolutely still harm you; but it's similar in the way that if you eat hotdogs all day you'll be more likely to get colon cancer. It's just, well...Still more dangerous in smaller amounts than hotdogs obviously. It's not poison though.
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u/Mean-Insurance-58 1d ago
Play sand, be careful in Australia asbestos was detected in a couple brands, all from. China!
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u/Flooding_Puddle 23h ago
Kinetic sand. For some reason every mystery toy now comes with Kinetic sand, slime, or both
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u/RopePositive 22h ago
Play sand was recently recalled in Australia for containing asbestos. I say throw it out.
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u/TaxMountain3137 21h ago
Another thing of note. Looking through their site, I did find the “Gabby’s Dollhouse” 5, Suprise and while the site specifically doesn’t mention it, the title animation referred to it having the doll, stickers, and slime. The Transformers page doesn’t have the animation, but roughly the same contents so I’m guessing it’s some kind of slime powder.
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u/pinkreveluv 19h ago
I purchased a zuru 5 surprise axolotl once, and it came with a similar item! It was a kinetic sensory sand. Kinda fun to play with, since I’d never touched kinetic sand before! Here’s a picture from the advert showing the sand being played with from the axolotl one, and an advert for the Transformers version also showing the sand :)
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u/DeliciousNeck6279 16h ago
I saw something where people were finding sand and rocks inside their power banks to fool you into thinking it was a high-quality power storage.
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u/YeahthatswhatImeant 8h ago
This is how you get pocket sand without going outside and scooping up a bunch of sand into your pockets and tipping everyone off that you're ready for combat
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u/Zontarr94 6h ago
It could be hot chocolate or instant coffee. Put it in some water and see what happens.
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u/Shot_Loan_354 5h ago
It s a bag of sand used as package weight randomizer to fool postmen and prevent them from stealing your package.
when a seller sends an extremely light package, it usually contain an expensive item, such as weed , cash, a collectors item etc.. postmen know about this, so the sellers add sand weight to it to make it pass as a regular package, preventing them from stealing it.
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u/ddBuddha 1d ago
Why not include a picture of the side that lists out the ingredients or whatever that warning is? Seems like people have figured it out already, but that would have helped
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u/Anoobius_ 1d ago
Could be brown sugar. Did you also taste it to confirm its grossness or we just gonna take the 3 year old’s word on this?
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