Unboxing: BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures

So, um, I pre-ordered these last August and they shipped out in December to my Korean forwarding address... and I kinda forgot about them until my BTS Island figures arrived. So I realize this unboxing is exceptionally late, but they're all still available for purchase so this post isn't completely redundant yet!

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — Outer Boxes

To be honest, I'm not like, a die-hard Despicable Me fan, so I didn't even know a fourth movie was coming out until this collaboration was announced. And even then, I wasn't really sure how BTS was related to this movie franchise. (I looked it up: there's a new character in DM4 named Poppy Prescott who loves BTS. Which is fair. She has a BTS phone case and a "Butter" poster on her wall, and they also play "Dynamite" in one of the scenes.) But I've always loved the Minions, so when I saw that they were releasing figures that featured BTS as Minions in the "Permission to Dance" MV outfits, I had to get my hands on them. Resistance was futile.

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — RM, Jin, and Suga
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook

All the figures come packaged in yellow (Minion yellow, if you will) with clear cellophane windows in the front. Each member has his own distinct box with his name and his Minion character illustration on the front. Each figure comes with a white foot stand. The figures measure 6.6cm to 7.8cm tall, and are made of PVC and ABS plastics. Each figure retails for ₩32,000 or $25.18 USD on Weverse Shop Global (and, as mentioned, they are shockingly all still available for purchase!).

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — RM
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jin
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Suga
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — J-Hope
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jimin
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — V
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jungkook
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures(Top row, left to right: RM, Jin, and SugaBottom row, left to right: J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook)

Now, granted, unless you're very familiar with BTS' "Permission to Dance" MV, you probably won't be able to tell which BTS member is which in their Minion form. But I will say that the designers really got down the hair and outfits to a T so any ARMY will be able to recognize these fellas as BTS, and that is what counts. (Also, these are just cute AF. Funko also released BTS x Despicable Me 4 figures, but they actually look kinda creepy so I'm still debating whether I will get them or not. We shall see. The BTS figure collector in me might cave.)

Unboxing: BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2

So, I finally got around to unboxing Version 2 of the BTS Island: In the SEOM BTS Island Figures. I pre-ordered them last October (yes, six months ago) and they were officially released this February, but I got them shipped to my Korean forwarding address and didn't end up shipping them out until a couple weeks ago, so here we are.

BTS Island: In the SEOM is BTS' match-3 mobile game that was released in June 2022, and the characters — which are based on the 7 members of BTS, obviously — are sickeningly adorable, so it was only a matter of time before merchandise for it was released. If you're a BTS figure collector, then you'll know that the first version of the BTS Island: In the SEOM figures came as a set which could be displayed separately or together on an "island base." This second version features the 7 member characters on separate bases, like the TinyTAN figures.

BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Outer Boxes

All the figures come packaged in purple boxes with clear cellophane windows in the front. Each member has his own distinct box with his name and his character illustration on the front. Each figure comes with a matching stand with the name of the respective member on the base and a sticker background each to decorate the stand. The figures measure 5.5cm to 7.7cm tall, and are made of PVC and ABS plastics. Each figure retails for ₩27,000 or $21.24 USD on Weverse Shop Global (and, as of this post, the majority of them are shockingly still available for purchase!).

BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — RM in "Wild Flower," Jin in "The Astronaut," and Suga in "Haegeum"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — J-Hope in "On the Street," Jimin in "Like Crazy," V in "Slow Dancing," and Jungkook in "Seven"

So, instead of one cohesive theme, Version 2 of the BTS Island Figures actually features each member with their solo work. More specifically, each member's title track music video from a solo project:

• RM in "Wild Flower" (Indigo)
• Jin in "The Astronaut" (The Astronaut)
• Suga in "Haegeum" (D-DAY)
• J-Hope in "On the Street" (Hope on the Street)
• Jimin in "Like Crazy" (FACE)
• V in "Slow Dancing" (Layover)
• Jungkook in "Seven" (Golden)

BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — RM in "Wild Flower"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Jin in "The Astronaut"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Suga in "Haegeum"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — J-Hope in "On the Street"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Jimin in "Like Crazy"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — V in "Slow Dancing"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Jungkook in "Seven"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2(Top row, left to right: RM in "Wild Flower," Jin in "The Astronaut," and Suga in "Haegeum"Bottom row, left to right: J-Hope in "On the Street," Jimin in "Like Crazy," and Jungkook in "Seven")
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Coupon Code Photocards(Top row, left to right: RM in "Wild Flower," Jin in "The Astronaut," and Suga in "Haegeum"Bottom row, left to right: J-Hope in "On the Street," Jimin in "Like Crazy," and Jungkook in "Seven")

As usual, the attention to detail in their individual hairstyles, outfits, and even background stickers is impeccable. I'm glad that HYBE decided to create figures with a totally different theme than their other figure collections (e.g. TinyTAN, Funko, Banpresto, etc.), which have a lot of overlap (for example, they've done "Dynamite" and "Butter" across all toy brands). These particular figures for BTS Island: In the SEOM actually mark the first series of figures that feature BTS' solo work — a cute acknowledgement of this second chapter of BTS while they're in the military. Can't wait to see what they come up with for Version 3!

Unboxing: J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour Official Merch

You didn't think I'd go see J-Hope on tour and not get merch, did you?

J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Zip-Up Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Zip-Up Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Brooklyn Acorn Keyring Charm
Yes, my friend Iris and I decided to get in line for merch at Barclays Center at 7:00AM. There were about 100 people in front of us when we got there which, compared to the last time I was in line for merch at the BTS Permission to Dance concert in Las Vegas a couple years ago, seemed quite reasonable. (I guess, to be fair, there were also about 5 times more people at that concert.) We waited for about 3.5 hours to get in (the merch booths opened at 10:00AM, so all things considered, we actually got in pretty fast), and both Iris and I managed to get everything we wanted. For me, that included the two US-exclusive hoodies (that, frankly, cost a small fortune with the atrocious USD to CAD exchange rate) and the Brooklyn-exclusive acorn keychain (SO CUTE — every city in the US leg of the tour gets a city-exclusive acorn keychain).

J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour Blanket

Of course, when I got home, my Weverse Shop package from Korea also arrived with the general Hope on the Stage Tour merch I had ordered a few weeks ago — I picked the hoodie and the blanket. Yes, I, too, am wondering where the hell I'm going to fit three new hoodies in my already packed closet.

Now, did I get a cold when I got back from NYC from waiting in line for nearly four hours in 5°C weather on three hours of sleep? Yes, yes, I did. Was it worth it? Yes, yes, it was.

Unboxing: Orlando 2024 — The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Shopping Haul

I'm back, I unpacked, and oh my god, I bought an atrocious amount of stuff:

Chocolate Frogs from Sugarplum's Sweet Shop(Clockwise from top: White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate)

Chocolate Frog (Milk Chocolate) Keepsake Tin from Sugarplum's Sweet Shop

Chocolate Frog Keepsake Tin — Chocolate Frog Collectible Cards(Top: Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, and Helga Hufflepuff
Bottom: Rowena Ravenclaw and Albums Dumbledore)

Chocolate Frog Ceramic Keepsake Box from Sugarplum's Sweet Shop

Chocolate Frog 3-Piece Tea Set from Sugarplum's Sweet Shop

Chocolate Frog 3-Piece Tea Set from Sugarplum's Sweet Shop

There is a lot of Chocolate Frog merch here. The original Chocolate Frogs in the card stock packaging come in white, milk, and dark chocolate options and are packaged in silver, gold, and bronze, respectively. They each come with a collectible Chocolate Frog card, which features a famous witch or wizard. (I got Artemisia Lufkin, Ignatia Wildsmith, and, unfortunately, Gilderoy Lockhart.) The Chocolate Frog Keepsake Tin comes with a milk chocolate frog and includes the same 5 collectible cards, all leaders of Hogwarts: Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Albus Dumbledore. However, both the Chocolate Frog Ceramic Keepsake Box and the Chocolate Frog 3-Piece Tea Set (which includes a ceramic teacup and saucer, and gold-coloured teaspoon) do not come with chocolate nor Chocolate Frog cards — they are just very pretty accessories to use at home.

Sherbert Lemons and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from Honeydukes

Fizzing Whizzbees (bee-shaped milk chocolate with popping candy), Ton-Tongue Toffee (chocolate-coated hard toffee with nuts), and Cauldron Cakes (chocolate cake with red and orange frosting in a reusable silicone cauldron) from Honeydukes

Nosebleed Nougat (milk chocolate-coated marshmallows topped with pistachios and white pearl candy), Fainting Fancies (orange and lemon fruit gummies), and Wizarding Playing Cards from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

Aside from Chocolate Frogs, I did buy a bunch of other sweets from Honeydukes as well, including Dumbledore's favourite Sherbert Lemons, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans in a keepsake tin, Fizzing Whizzbees, Ton-Tongue Toffee, and a Cauldron Cake (which is an actual chocolate cake with an insane amount of frosting — it comes in a reusable silicone "cauldron" so you can bake cauldron cakes at home or just have as a keepsake, but note that this cake is not sealed, so if you're going to take it home, make sure you wrap it up safely for travel because it will get everywhere). Note that you can buy the majority of sweets from both Honeydukes in Hogsmeade and Sugarplum's Sweet Shop in Diagon Alley, but each shop has a few of their own exclusive items, so they're both worth checking out. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley also sells several exclusive sweets; I got Nosebleed Nougat (which has no nougat at all, ironically — it's chocolate-coated marshmallows) and Fainting Fancies (orange and lemon fruit gummies), which were on sale for 2 for $16. 

Gringotts $10 Bank Note and Gringotts Chocolate Galleons from Gringotts Money Exchange

Some people may not know about this, but you can actually exchange USD into Gringotts Bank Notes at Gringotts Money Exchange. You can use these Bank Notes anywhere inside the Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando like cash. It's absolutely not necessary — it's just an extra little thing that you can do to immerse yourself in the world of Harry Potter. That having been said, we just wanted to get a Bank Note as a souvenir to take home (it comes in an official Gringotts Bank envelope!), so we only exchanged $10 USD, which is he lowest denomination they offer. You can also buy some other souvenirs at Gringotts Money Exchange like figures and coin banks, but we just picked up a little bag of chocolate Galleons because they were too cute to resist.

2024 Collector's Edition Wand from Ollivanders Wand Shop

We went into Ollivanders for the wand selection show. (It's a 5-minute show where a staff member of Ollivanders selects someone in the 15- to 20-person audience to participate in a wand selection ceremony. There is usually a line-up for the show, but it goes by pretty quickly — we got in within 10 minutes. When the show is finished, the selected person can then choose to buy the wand.) After the show, you exit into the actual Ollivanders shop, where you can peruse and purchase wands. (Note that wands are also sold at Wands by Gregorovitch, but they don't carry the entire assortment, nor do they have the wand selection ceremony.) There are generally two main types of wands — character wands (I think there are about 15 to 20 of them, all designed for characters of the series from Harry Potter to Albus Dumbledore to Voldemort) and pre-customized wands (I believe there are 12 or 13 of these ones, and they are randomized — for example, elm with phoenix feather or mahogany with dragon heartstring). The character wands come in both interactive and decor types (and are set at different price points), whereas the pre-customized wands are all interactive — the interactive wands allow users to "cast spells" at 16 different locations in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. (You can read more about it here.)

2024 Collector's Edition Wand Handle from Ollivanders Wand Shop

I actually didn't want a wand at first because what the hell was I going to do with a wand once I brought it home? But then I was like, "Did I really go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter if I didn't get a wand?" And Minji was already hell-bent on getting one, so I decided to get one, too. (You know, twist my rubber arm.) Except neither of us wanted the character wands and they didn't have either of the pre-customized wands we wanted in stock. (In fact, out of all the variations of pre-customized wands they make, our top choices were the only two out of stock. Ridiculous.) We were about to buy our second choice wands, when I stumbled upon a display of their Collector's Edition wands. 

2024 Collector's Edition Wand with Metal Wand Stand from Ollivanders Wand Shop

They had both the 2023 and 2024 versions of the Collector's Edition Wand, and they look SO MUCH COOLER than any of the other wands. (Note: The Collector's Edition Wands only come in the interactive type, and at $75 a pop, are also more expensive than all other wands.) Minji preferred the 2023 and I preferred the 2024 (which features an ornate dragon head that looks SUPER BAD-ASS), so we ditched our second-choice pre-customized wands (I asked Minji, "Do we really want to pay $65 for SECOND CHOICE wands when these are so much cooler? And limited edition?") and snagged the Collector's Edition wands instead. And, of course, we got wand display holders, too. (I got the single plain gold one, and Minji got the single black Death Eater one.) Because if you're going to spend this kind of money on a wand, you want to display it proudly at home, you know?

Hogsmeade Postcards from Owl Post and Diagon Alley Postcards from Scribbulus

Hogwarts: A History and The Marauder's Map Greeting Cards from Scribbulus

One of the unique things you can do at both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade is send actual postmarked letters. As someone who loves sending postcards when I'm traveling (I always send one to myself from every place I go to because a) I love getting letters in the mail, and b) so I can look back at all the places I've been to), I got a pack from both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. The stores that sell stationery (Scribbulus in Diagon Alley, Dervish and Banges and Owl Post in Hogsmeade) also sell postage stamps, so you can write your postcards or greeting cards while you're at the store, add the proper amount of stamps, and then give your postcards to the staff to send out — they will stamp the respective postmark on it so it'll look like you actually got mail from Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade.

Interactive Snowy Owl from Scribbulus

Mini Pygmy Puffs from Magical Menagerie

Harry Potter Plush Toy from Dervish and Banges

Mandrake Plush Toy from Dervish and Banges

I got a several plush toys. When I saw this adorable little snowy owl (which is interactive and magnetic — you can perch it on your shoulder and if you put batteries in it, it will move its neck and wings and make owl sounds), I couldn't resist. I also got mini Pygmy Puffs (these are technically key rings, but they are significantly cuter than their larger counterparts), plus Harry Potter and Mandrake plushies that were on sale for 2 for $15. Unfortunately, they only had a random assortment of these latter ones, so they had Harry and Draco Malfoy, but none of the other main characters. They had, like, Luna Lovegood and a Death Eater. And, randomly, a Mandrake, which was just too cute to leave behind.

The Marauder's Map Mug from Filch's Emporium

Now, you might be wondering what house I belong to. According to dozens of Harry Potter house-sorting quizzes, I am technically Ravenclaw but with strong Slytherin tendencies, so I've never really felt particularly attached to a singular house. Which is also why I didn't buy any house-specific merch. So while Minji bought Slytherin robes, Slytherin sweatshirts, and even a Slytherin scrunchie, I went for clothing in the "other" category. If you know me, you will know that my wardrobe is basically 97% black, which is why I was only drawn to the clothes featuring the Dark Mark or the Deathly Hallows. And that's fine. They're helping me re-live my teenage emo days.

Spells Hooded Sweatshirt from Filch's Emporium

Morsmordre Grey Sweatshirt and The Deathly Hallows Grey Tee from Borgin and Burkes

Dark Mark Black Scarf from Borgin and Burkes

One of the greatest features of staying at Universal Studios Orlando Resort (we stayed at Portofino Bay) is that all the shops inside the Universal Studios theme parks have a free delivery service straight to your hotel room. This is simultaneously very convenient since you don't have to carry all your shopping while walking around the theme parks, and very dangerous as you may, like us, forget just how much stuff you bought until you get delivered over 15 shopping bags within 3 days. Still, I have no regrets — I got to live out nearly 27 years' worth of my wizarding world dreams.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Universal Studios Florida (Diagon Alley) 

Universal Islands of Adventure (Hogsmeade)

6000 Universal Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32819, USA

(407) 363-8000