2014 Transformers Christmas merchandise in Australia

[Paulbot]

For those of you who haven't started your Christmas shopping yet (because it's still over two months away) don't worry the shops already have Christmas decorations and goodies on the shelf.

Spotted today at Big W for $3 was a Transformers Age of Extinction Advent Calendar (one of those countdown to Christmas calendars with a chocolate goodie inside windows you open each day).

Australian made by Park Avenue Foods, you can get a better look at the calendar and their Transformers Christmas stocking (http://www.parkavenuefoods.com.au/products/christmas/42/#seperator) (with sticker sheet and assorted lollies) on their website.

Ho ho ho

http://33.media.tumblr.com/7f390e1569e59086cd2c41787626469c/tumblr_nda4zc6Nme1qbguy1o1_500.jpg

[griffin]

Oooo... a lolly stocking too. That's more interesting than the advent calendar with tasteless chocolate that we usually get lately for Christmas.
When the movies first came out, we had quite a few novelty items for Christmas and Easter... but each year the items got less and less, to the point of having nothing last year.
(I miss the lolly mugs, as they were the one non-food items that I got any use out of.)

[griffin]

Details and photos of this year's Transformers Christmas items at BigW.

Advent Calendar - $3
Cookie lunch-box - $9
Lolly stocking - $8
Giant lollipop container - $5

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm4.jpg

At the store in the Christmas novelty section. (I didn't take a photo of the calendar in the store because Paulbot already did above)
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm1.jpg
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http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm2.jpg

This is something that looks like a massive lollipop, but is just a plastic container that contains 15 fruit-flavoured lollipops.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm3.jpg

Small tin lunch-box with cookies in it (7 bags of 5 cookies, that had a strange lotus smell and taste to them... they were made in China, so maybe that's why).
One side has Optimus that is contoured, and the other side has Bumblebee that is flat.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm5.jpg

I set up the open tin with the cookies on top for a photo, but forgot to take it... and the following day when I noticed it, it was too late to retake the photo. ;)
But you can see a little of what I set up in the next photo, on the right side. I set up everything at once to photograph, and missed the cookie shot. :(

The contents of the lolly stocking - not just lollies this year, as it comes with stickers, eraser, badge, keyring and disk-shooter (you squeeze and it forces the disk out like a frisbee).
This might look like junk for us oldies, but I would have loved this type of novelty Transformers item as a kid, as it would be a stocking of a variety of surprises if the parent took off the cardboard.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm6.jpg
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http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm7.jpg

The chocolate contents and back of the advent calendar. We didn't have one last year if I recall, but these have remained exactly the same since the first one in 2007, with just a different case (and they do dozens of different themed ones). Even the chocolate tastes the same each year, as it has the horrible nutty taste to it.
The chocolate mould/shapes are christmas themed, as it is what they use for all their advent calendars. If they did unique moulds to match the theme of the calendar casing, it would probably cost ten times as much.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm8.jpg

And this is the giant lollipop. Actually, I'd have been more excited if it was a giant lollipop, with flavoured layers... instead of containing 15 regular lollipops of three flavours - Apple, Orange, Strawberry.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm9.jpg

I included Deluxe Lockdown to show scale of the massive novelty thing.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm10.jpg
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http://www.toycollectors.com.au/2014xm11.jpg

[Megatran]

It's far too early to be opening up that Christmas stocking. You must've been extra nice this year. :p

(I think the Advent Calendar is at Aldi as well. Might have seen it in their catalogue this week.)

[griffin]

Don't forget about the novelty christmas items for any youngens you might have or know.

I think the stocking and lunchbox are the better two items, as you can fill them with extra goodies. (the cookies in the lunchbox aren't spectacular, or if you get the stocking you can remove the cardboard from the top to make it look nicer when hanging it up)

[griffin]

I found these last week at Coles, for $2 - a bag of chocolate coins.
They aren't Christmas themed, but are by the same company as the Christmas items above (Park Avenue), and are out at a time that will probably have some end up as stocking-stuffers.... which is why I posted this here instead of starting a whole new topic just for this.

Each one has a TF4 movie head moulded into both sides of the coin, from the sculpting of the foil halves of the coin (randomly paired up). The bigger blue ones have a sticker on one side, and the box says that there are 12 to collect.

The chocolate tastes the same as the type they use for the advent calendars (which I personally don't think is a nice flavour). The tag says they were made in Holland, so I would have thought that they'd taste different.

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/c343.jpg
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http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/c344.jpg
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http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/c345.jpg

[i_amtrunks]

I got the tf lollipops (and the barbie ones) for my class of 8 year olds. They loved them, the strawberry ones seemed to be the favourite flavour.

[griffin]

According to an email from the company Park Avenue, the renewed interest in the brand (thanks to the TF4 Movie) will see a "range" of Transformers items for Easter. So keep an eye out, and post up anything you see (in a new news topic).