Back when I first started reviewing Citrus Lane, they were a small little company that offered a monthly surprise box for little ones. You can see all my Citrus Lane reviews here. Well now, the company has grown into so much more. They still have their monthly subscription boxes, but they also have a Citrus Lane store and have started offering these deluxe Mystery Boxes.
The first time I saw the Mystery Box, it totally sold out before I could snag one. One came up for sale a few weeks ago and I jumped on it! The boxes are $39 with an estimated retail value of $80 and appropriate for toddlers aged 2 and up… so I figured I’d check one out for myself.
For price comparison purposes, I looked up each item on Amazon since that is where I do most of my online shopping. Some of the items are also sold on the Citrus Lane website, but not all of them are currently listed.
The box just came in the mail and here’s what we got:
That’s right, it’s a HUGE box of kids toys for $39! We’re already off to a good start!
Boon Bath Tub Appliques
When ordering the box, you are able to choose one of the items so I went with this bath toy.
It’s unlike any of the bath toys we currently have, so I thought that Jack might get a kick out of it. He had an awesome time sticking each applique up on the wall and then throwing them all back down into the tub. What’s funny is that when he was playing with his new Boon stick-ons, I realized that every single one of his bath toys came from Citrus Lane! He LOVES these and I’m so glad we got them in the Mystery Box.
Green Toys Sandwich Shop
The Green Toys Build-a-Burger is a special item for Citrus Lane, because it’s usually offered as part of a set which also includes a sandwich.
On the description for the Mystery Box, it says that some items have been in previous subscriber boxes and this is one item we’ve already received. It’s super cute though and I think that having two burgers will be totally fine for Jack’s kitchen set. Now two of us can pretend to eat, instead of just sadly watching the other one enjoy all the fake food.
Zoli Sumo Snack Stack
Okay, this is another item we’ve already received. Which is kind of annoying, but it also reminded me that we HAVE this.
With lots of beach time coming up, this will be the perfect addition to our beach bag! It is actually HUGE at over 8” tall and each section screws into each other. Since we now have two of these, they’ll be great for holding all kinds of beach snacks! I can also screw the two sets together to have a GIANT snack set.
green sprouts Aqua Bottle
I’m really surprised that a pink bottle is included in our box, considering that they have gender information in our account from purchasing their subscription boxes.
I guess the orders don’t sync up though, even though there was no mention of this on the Mystery Box page. I actually don’t care if my son drinks from a pink straw cup so it’s not a big deal.
However, we have a bunch of cups right now so I might just put this away in our gift pile.
Driving My Tractor Puzzle
This set includes a 12 piece puzzle, 24 piece puzzle and a CD!
We LOVE Barefoot Books and have enjoyed every single book from them that Citrus Lane has sent us over the last couple years. This puzzle is the perfect addition to our collection and great for Jack now and as he grows. I kind of wish Barefoot Books had a subscription box because I’d love to get something from them every month!
Melissa & Doug Princess Doll
Well, crap. Here is another girlie item that isn’t that great of a fit for a toddler boy. While Jack would have LOVED the create-a-craft car and truck, he’s just not that interested in princess dolls.
This could still be a good project for a boring summer day though, so it’s not a total waste.
Also, I have friends with little girls that would probably LOVE this, so it will probably be added to that ever growing gift box.
Hohner 6″ Tamborine
The whole family loves it when we get musical instruments in the mail and both my husband and I have been known to break into dance when handed a tambourine.
We have a couple similar items already from previous Citrus Lane boxes, but this one is just different enough to be a good fit. Actually, now that I think about it we may have enough instruments to start our own garage band…
ALEX® Toys Dot to Dot Sidewalk Chalk
I love this! We don’t have any sidewalk chalk and haven’t even tried to play with them yet. Jack LOVES to draw though, especially if you give him a pen and a notebook.
This will be super fun to use on our driveway this summer and I love that it comes with a chalk holder too. This might be one of my favorite items in the box!
My thoughts on the Citrus Lane Mystery Box:
First off, I LOVE the idea of the Mystery Box because it’s a great assortment of fun kid items that I probably wouldn’t buy myself. They estimate the box total of being around $80.00 worth of merchandise, which is pretty darn close to the Amazon comparison prices (which total $78.85). So yes, I think it’s a great deal for $39! I do wish that they took the gender of the child into consideration when sending items because the water bottle and doll were not the best fits for my truck and tractor loving boy. It’s not a total waste though, because I’m building up a great last-minute gift box for future kiddo birthday parties!
After over 2 years of receiving Citrus Lane boxes as part of their subscription service, we just recently decided to cancel. We were still enjoying the boxes but hadn’t been blown away by one in awhile (except the last box we received, which was AWESOME. Of course.) I think that the Mystery Boxes could be a fun treat for Jack to enjoy a few times a year, so we may decide to do that instead. All-in-all I really liked the Mystery Box and we will definitely be buying one again.
If you are interested in trying Citrus Lane, you can use this special link to receive 50% off your first month of service: my special referral link.
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and Citrus Lane did not pay for me to review their products on my blog. I review these boxes because I feel like other parents would be interested in seeing what they’ll get from Citrus Lane’s subscription service or Mystery boxes. If you decided that you would like to sign up for your own subscription and use my link, I will receive referral credits on my account and you will receive 50% off your first month of service.
Another Disclosure: Pocketful of Joules is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.