Golden Child: Play 2022 Concert Woollim Mall Merch Review (Part 1 of 2)

Golden Child held their first in-person concert in 2 years, with Play on February 5th and 6th, 2022. I made 2 orders for the Play merchandise, one order during each round of presales. Here I'll blog about the products offered during the original round of sales, and in a previous post I blogged about the additional products offered during the second round of sales here, and I blogged about ordering these items here.

The Play merchandise consists of 7 items, with the original 4 products from Round 1 listed below:

• STADIUM JACKET + POLAROID (1EA)
• SIGNED MESSAGE PHOTOCARD SET
• SLOGAN
• A4 PHOTO

STADIUM JACKET + POLAROID (1EA)

The jacket comes neatly folded inside a clear plastic resealable bag. The random Polaroid (1 of 10) comes in its own clear resealable bag and is packaged facing up.

Here is the Jibeom Polaroid! I seriously could not believe my eyes (cue "내 눈을 의심해"^^) that I pulled Jibeom!

Here is the backside of the Polaroid. I honestly thought that it would be like a printed photocard with a Polaroid frame, but it's cool that this is actually a Polaroid.

My friend had ordered 2 jackets and this is how hers were packaged.

Here is a closer look at the Daeyeol Polaroid. I am in love with this photo - he looks like a senior in uni and the pose makes him look so mature^^

And here is the Joochan Polaroid. His is also really adorable! I love how these photos really show off the jackets well and how the boys look like sophisticated uni students^^

The backside of the packaging has the product sticker and holographic Woollim authentication seal in the bottom right corner.

Here is the front view of the stadium jacket! It is one size, which is on the large side (and keep in mind that the boys did wear it at their concert). The sleeves and pocket trim are made of synthetic leather. The navy portion of the jacket is made of what Woollim Mall calls "premium himere" (searching on Naver, it appears that this is just what Koreans call varsity jacket material), which is probably something similar to a wool blend that varsity jackets are made of. On the right (when wearing the jacket) is a cute "GDU" patch and above it "GEUM DONG", while on the left are "G" and "C" staggered diagonally like a university jacket. The left sleeve has the original Golden Child logo.

I believe the white and navy striped trim around the neck, wrists, and waist are elastic and made of cotton. The backside states "GEUMDONG UNIV".

Here is a closer look at the design on the right side of the jacket front. "GEUM DONG" is stitched in white while the felt patch is completely ironed onto the jacket. The patch is subtly detailed with a teal base and both navy and white rings, and "GDU" is in white but with a navy border. The design on the left sleeve is a patch of the original Golden Child logo, reminiscent of the patch on some of Golden Child's "Damdadi" jersey sleeves. The name and border are in navy while in inside has a textured white design.

The "GC" on the front and the text on the back all appear to be made of yarn, like what you'd find on a rug. I really like this style and how the text becomes 3D. In terms of all the branding referring to Golden Child, I love how subtle it is with the "GC", and the patch on the right breast in small text stating "GOLDEN CHILD" and "2017", and the original Golden Child logo on the sleeve. Additionally, I love the entire "Geum Dong University au" and how it really does feel like a varsity jacket for a real university. I have yet to wear this in public and see if others ask me about it...

There is a tag sewn inside the neckline with "GOLDEN CHILD" as the brand and an "F" in a circle denoting the "free" size. Here you can also see the inside of the elastic is solid navy.

I was surprised at just how high quality this jacket is! The inside is lined and feels rather thick and heavy, perfect for colder, dry weather. There is also a larger pocket sewn on the inside on the left. The jacket has 7 metal snap buttons, where the tops have a matte white finish. These buttons are also high quality and I can snap them open and close without worrying about them falling off the jacket.

Here's how the jacket looks! I'm 5'4" and 105lb, and the sleeves are quite long that they cover more than half my hand, but the body is a nice length that it just covers my hips. You can also get a good idea of the placement and size of the patches on the front and sleeve. The outer pockets are also quite large and comfy to put your entire hand in there.

Here is how the back of the jacket looks. I love how large and visible the text is, so you can proudly represent^^

It's a bit hard to see, but the jacket is super roamy and big. You can definitely wear several layers underneath but it will probably get hot pretty quickly with just how thick this jacket it. It is quite oversized for me to the point that I'm not sure if I will wear this out, but I do love hanging it over my office chair to look at~

Here I pushed up the sleeves so that they rest above my wrists, and this is when you can really tell how large the jacket is, with how the shoulders really puff out to look like I'm wearing football gear underneath.

And here is how the jacket looks when it's fully unbuttoned and when I leave I have sweater paws. As you can see, the jacket is still really structured and looks quite similar to when it was buttoned. As bulky as it does look on me, I do hope there will be the perfect time and place to wear this^^

SIGNED MESSAGE PHOTOCARD SET

The photocard set comes in a tin case and then packaged in a clear resealable bag. Here is the backside of the packaging, which the product sticker. Oddly enough the holographic Woollim authentication seal looks like never made it on this product...instead there is a little square indicating where the seal should be. On the plus side, the product sticker is on the flap part of the bag, so I can safely open the bag without ripping through the sticker.

The tin case is silver with a matte navy sticker, and with the Play logo and text in silver. The tin case is about 3.875" by 3" by 0.875".

Opening up the tin case reveals the photocard set of 30 cards, which is packaged inside its own clear resealable bag.

The 30 photocards came in this order from left to right, with 3 sets of photocards from the 3 different photoshoots, and in age order from Daeyeol to Bomin.

The first set is holographic, and the selcas are from the photoshoot of the boys in the white outfits. I really like how subtle the holographic effect is with these cards; the sheen is really pretty, especially on Jangjun in the above photo.

In certain lighting you can see more of the holographic effect.

The backsides are also holographic. I also really like how consistent the backs of these photocards are; they all have the members' printed autographs and messages, which are different from set to set, and the top and bottom borders are different colors to indicate the photoshoots that these are from.

And next are the photocards of Golden Child in their uni jackets! I'm so happy we get more content of Golcha in these jackets^^

Here are the backsides to the uni jacket photocards.

And the last 10 photocards are from the photoshoot of Golcha in the black suits.

And here are the backs of the black suit photoshoot photocards. All 30 of these photocards have a glossy finish.

SLOGAN

The slogan comes neatly folded inside a plastic pouch with a metal slide zip lock at the top. This pouch is about 9.875" by 7.125".

The other side of the packaging is translucent with no text, and the product sticker and holographic Woollim authentication seal are at the bottom right.

Here is a closer look at the pouch. The front side is clear with the Play logo centered and "2022 GOLDEN CHILD CONCERT" printed at the bottom in black.

The slogan came neatly folded along with a piece of wax paper.

Here is the slogan! It is the same group image as the front cover of the Play photobook. It's a soft yet stuff microfiber slogan similar to fansite cheering slogans. The dimensions are about 29.25" by 7.75".

The backside of the slogan, like the backside of the pouch, have the Play logo and "2022 GOLDEN CHILD CONCERT".

Here is a closeup of the Play logo, which along with the text, has a metallic gold finish that contrasts well with the navy blue cloth. The edges of the slogan are also sewn together.

(I didn't notice this until I left my slogan on the floor all day and came back when it was dark)...the logo and wording are also reflective!

A4 PHOTO

The A4 photo is by member and thankfully is not random. I got both Jaehyun and Jibeom. Each photo comes in its own silver zip lock bag. The front of the bag has a sticker indicating which member it is.

The backside of the packaging has the product sticker at the bottom right corner.

Like my tin case, the Jibeom A4 photo also didn't come with the holographic Woollim authentication seal...I swear this is a legit product, there is just inconsistent quality control at Eline >.<

Opening up the zip lock reveals the photo, and an A4 cardboard behind it to protect the photo from bending. Oddly enough the cardboard for Jaehyun was much flimsier than the one for Jibeom...but regardless, both photos are correct and arrived in perfect condition!

It's really faint, but the backside of these photos have "FUJIFILM" printed across them. These really are photos that you'd go to get printed, and the frontside is glossy and prone to fingerprints.

Here are both A4 photos in the photobinder. All 10 A4 photos are from the black suit photoshoot and these photos aren't included in the photobook. I said it while I was unboxing the photobinder and I'll say it here, the A4 photos go so well in this binder!

Overall, I'm really happy about the Play merchandise from both Round 1 and Round 2 and its variety of practical items and photos. I still can't get over the tremendous upgrade in the clothing that Woollim has up for sale - the stadium jacket is so high quality and makes me feel so happy to wear because it is such a touching connection to both Golden Child and Goldenness. I also really love the photobook from Round 2, just because we can have more gorgeous photos of the boys in their uni jackets^^ And this set of merchandise is quite heavy on the photocards (3 sets from the photocard set, 1 set from the tumbler, 1 set from the photobinder, 1 random of 10 from the photobook, and 1 random Polaroid of 10 from the jacket), but I guess Woollim knows what many people want^^ Out of all the Play merchandise, I'm least excited about the tumbler itself because of its quality and design (the photocard set makes up for it), and I'm hesitant on the slogan as well just because I can't really use it. But besides that, I'm really happy with this collection^^

Ordering My Golden Child Play 2022 Concert Merch from Woollim Mall

Golden Child really finished off 2021 with a bang, with Woollim announcing Golden Child's 2022 Concert Play on December 31st, 2021 at 2PM KST. The tweet came with the first concert poster of the boys in sharp black suits with the concert dates for February 5th and 6th at KBS Arena.

On January 3rd, 2022 at 7:30PM KST, Woollim dropped the second concert poster, and it really felt like a shot to my heart (LOL I'm being dramatic). It showed the boys in Geumdong University letterman jackets...

And now time for my sob story, which feel free to just skip this paragraph: my life really felt like it revolved around Golden Child for the longest time, and I had planned to go to every concert that they'd hold (within reason). It wasn't until early 2019 that I really had my career straightened out so that I could take off on short notice anytime to see Golcha, but of course with their hiatus it was quite difficult. I'm extremely grateful to have attended Future And Past, especially with the pandemic following soon after. News of Summer Breeze was tough but I got over it, and with Play I thought I was taking it well that I'd miss Golden Child's second live concert until Woollim dropped the poster of Golcha in their branded jackets. Not only am I a sucker for branded items (sports jerseys, school uniforms, work overalls, airline wings, etc.), to see the continued growth of Golden Child's concept from high school to university was really touching, and it made me sad knowing I won't be able to see them in these outfits in person...(I clearly wrote this before the concert happened...and now after watching the online stream, it hurts even more to know this may have been the last OT10 performance for awhile...)

On January 5th at 7:30PM KST, Woollim released the third concert poster, again with a princely white outfit theme.

On January 6th at 7PM KST, Woollim Mall previewed the accompanying merchandise, with the first round of preordering (potential for future rounds?) from January 7th 4PM KST until January 10th 11:59PM KST. The image preview included the university jacket from the second concert poster! If I'm unable to see Golcha performing in these jackets live, it makes me happy that at least Goldenness can match and join in on the Geumdong University au^^

Just as the preorders opened, Woollim Mall posted the product detail and announced the first preorder delivery schedule will begin on January 27th. The Play merchandise includes the following:

• STADIUM JACKET + POLAROID (1EA) / 88,000₩ / $74.54 USD
• SIGNED MESSAGE PHOTOCARD SET / 30,000₩ / $25.41 USD
• SLOGAN / 18,000₩ / $15.25 USD
• A4 PHOTO (1 version per member; able to choose which member) / 10,000₩ / $8.47 USD

No events or benefits have been announced by Woollim Mall for this merchandise.

Furthermore, surprisingly Kpoptown didn't list any of Play merchandise, making Woollim Mall my go-to this time around. But as I am for whatever reason still blacklisted by Woollim Mall / Eximbay, I am forever grateful to my friend for helping me get these items^^

Like with Woohyun's latest fan meeting merch and how a second round of preorders opened the day before his first show, on February 4th at 12PM KST (a day before the first concert date) Woollim Mall announced the second round of preorders starting at noon and closing at end of day on February 7th KST. The tweet included a clearer preview of all products, and listed that delivery will start on February 28th. The difference from Woohyun's second round of preorders is that for Golden Child, they added 3 more items:

• PHOTOBOOK + PHOTOCARD (1EA)
• PHOTOBINDER + PHOTOCARD SET
• TUMBLER + PHOTOCARD SET

At first I was quite frustrated about the addition of items, because it's like they are penalizing those who already preordered during the first round by having to place a second order (again facing ridiculous shipping fees). But then I ran some calculations...my first order which included the jacket, photocard set, slogan, and 2 A4 photos totaled to $241.66 USD ($132.14 item total plus $109.52 shipping to the US); my second order of the photobook, photobinder, and tumber totalled to $152.89 USD ($76.23 item total plus $76.66 shipping); if I placed a single order combining all 8 items, the total would have been $367.61 USD ($208.37 item total plus $159.24 shipping). Therefore the difference between 2 separate orders and 1 combined order is $26.94. Now the way I look at it, I paid an extra ~$27 to receive the bulk of my items sooner.

So I've been going back and forth, trying to look at any sort of bright side to dealing with Eline. After all, getting merch and receiving packages should be 100% fun and exciting! Yet because of Eline (and other kpop vendors, but Eline has taken the reigns of this competition), I have lost so much sleep and gained so much stress time and time again. This time, 2 packages showed up together on March 7th local time via UPS.

Another friend had accidentally sent her order to my place. She had only ordered from Round 2 (2 jackets, the photocard set, the photobook, and the tumbler set). Her package is on the right. Whereas my package is half the size?

And there is even a tiny hole in my box >.< Luckily nothing came out. But as the silly Eline sticker on the top suggests, I filmed an unboxing video in case something is missing.

The box is about half empty, with 2 bubblewrap bags on top.

2 items were put together inside 1 bubblewrap bag while the tumbler set was inside another bubblewrap and then wrapped and taped tightly to create more protection.

Removing all the bubblewrap reveals the photobinder set, photobook, and tumbler. Meaning that this is my Round 2 order. How is it that those who ordered during the original preorder period are penalized over those who ordered the second round? So all of my "positive thinking" about receiving my Round 1 order earlier despite paying more for shipping 2 orders instead of a combined order was of course logical thinking, but on the other hand ridiculous for me to believe since "logical" is not how Eline operates.

I'm sorry that all my Eline posts are of me complaining...I do want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped me to get official Woollim merch, because without them, without our friendship, especially now when the world is so virtual and feels so disconnected, I wouldn't have much to look forward to. So thank you <3

Messaging with my friend, it does seem like Eline didn't ship multiple international Round 1 packages, or perhaps even any of them. She emailed Eline and within a day she received a shipping notification from UPS for our Round 1 orders.

I received my Round 1 package on March 14th. Again the silly Everline sticker is slapped on top reminding customers to film their unboxings.

Here is a closeup of the shipping label. At first I took this picture to aggravate myself even more how the invoice number at the bottom states the purchase date was January 7th while the ship date at the top states March 8th. Then I compared this shipping label to my shipping label from my Summer Breeze order and noticed an improvement - now these shipping labels have a description of the items ("2022 GOLDEN CHILD CONCERT [PLA" vs. "goods") and has included the total item count, which is great in hopefully more accurately fulfilling orders without missing items.

My box was pretty filled this time, with the items in bubblewrap bags. You can see the slogan is slipping well out of its bubblewrap bag.

The jacket and the slogan came in their own bubblewrap bags, the 2 A4 photos came together in 1 bubblewrap bag, and the photocard set came in its own bubblewrap bag that was then wrapped around itself and then taped shut for added protection.

Here are all my items from Round 1! I'm so relieved that everything arrived intact, and that I'm not missing anything. And the moment I saw that I had pulled the Jibeom Polaroid for the jacket, I felt like the wait was well worth it! (Though of course it's still unjust that Round 1 wasn't even shipped until we received Round 2, and it seemed like only after my friend emailed them that they actually planned to ship these...).

I've blogged about my Round 2 merch here, and about my Round 1 merch here.