Golden Child: Goldenness 4th Generation Fanclub Membership Review

Golden Child's fanclub memberships have jumped from platform to platform. With the Goldenness 3rd generation membership expiring on June 30th, 2022 via Vlive, Woollim opened up Golden Child's 4th generation membership on Weverse. Weverse is different in that you need to first buy the fanclub membership, then the fan kit sales period opens up at a later time. Also the intro of this post is a bit jumped because I wasn't keeping tabs on this transition from Vlive to Weverse (this was during Golden Child's first tour), but next are key dates I did track. On August 8th, Woollim extended the application period through August 22nd, with the active membership period until June 30th, 2023. Then on October 17th, Woollim opened up an additional sign up period until November 17th. A few minutes later, Woollim also announced that the 4th membership kit sales period is open now until November 17th, also via the Weverse Shop, with a preview of the membership kit. On December 14th, Woollim announced that the membership kits were originally to be shipped sequentially in December, but have been postponed to January.

Membership benefits include: a digital membership card, the opportunity to purchase exclusive products and content (early release, lower price, etc.), membership-only content on Weverse, the opportunity to pre-book events / participate in raffles / apply for music shows, and the opportunity to purchase a membership kit.

I had made my Weverse account, linked my Weverse account to the Global Weverse Shop, then purchased my Goldenness 4TH MEMBERSHIP for $23 USD on July 17th. I converted the KRW and JPY prices (25,000₩ KRW and 2,500¥ JPY) and found that USD was more expensive, however I couldn't pay in a different currency. It was crucial that I linked my Weverse account number with my purchase so that my membership carried into the Weverse app. This membership shows that it is valid from July 1st, 2022, through June 30th, 2023. 

Once the fan kit sale period opened on October 17th, I used the Weverse Shop app to make the purchase. The fan kit itself was $14 USD, and shipping to the US was $41.22 USD, for a total of $55.22 USD. The app conveniently takes PayPal. I received a shipping notification from Weverse Shop (both the app and an email) that my kit was shipped on January 10th via DHL.

My package arrived on January 12th. It's so weird seeing Golden Child merch arrive in a Weverse box 😅

The membership kit came in a bubblewrap bag with lots of unnecessary room, but overall well protected.

Here is the fankit packaging! The membership card came in a clear resealable bag outside, but all other contents are inside a pretty matte pastel blue outbox with glossy pastel pink accents; the pink is embossed on top of the outbox, like the text on the Pump It Up album covers. The top corner states "GOLDENNESS" with a "4', and the bottom states "GOLDEN CHILD 4TH FANCLUB".

The sides of the box are really pretty too, with the top side stating "GOLDEN CHILD" and the sides stating "GOLDENNESS". I really like how they alternated between the pink and blue.

The backside reveals the envelope style packaging. The flap lists all 10 members' names. The bottom half, though hard to see, has a rectangle marking to indicate where the membership card should be. 

Opening up the flap we can see the entirety of the backside of the outbox. All the text in pink again has that glossy, embossed design, which contrasts well on the matte blue.

Here are how the contents were inside the outbox, with the coaster on top, followed by the photocard set, postcard set, and then the booklet.

The contents of the fankit include the outbox, membership card, booklet, message postcard set, photocard set, and silicone coaster. All items pictured here aside from the booklet were packaged in their own clear resealable bag.

Here are all of Golden Child's fanclub cards so far. This is the first year where the name or ID number aren't displayed on the front of the card. The small print on this year's card reads "GOLDEN CHILD 4TH FANCLUB" and "MEMBERSHIP CARD". All cards have a matte finish and are thick like a credit card. 

The backside has information in both Korean and English, the Woollim authentication seal, and full name and ID number at the top. Instead of a place to sign, there is a barcode. The information states the following:

• This Membership Card verifies that vearer holds a Goldenness 4TH MEMBERSHIP.
• The bearer of this Membership Card will receive Goldenness 4TH MEMBERSHIP benefits for the duration of the valid dates.
• Please present a photo ID together with this card when using Membership Card.
• This Membership Card cannot be sold, transferred or lent to another individual.
• Please ensure that this Membership Card is kept safe and secure, as a lost card cannot not be reissued. (Yes there were extra unnecessary words in this sentence).

The message postcard set came in age order, with 1 card per member. The photos are all so soft and pretty~

The backsides of the postcards have a pretty "G" design matching the outbox and membership card, along with the members' printed handwritten messages. The postcards are A6 size (4.1" by 5.8"), have a matte finish, and are more on the flimsy side.

The photocard set comes with 20 cards, with 2 per member and in age order.

The backsides all have a similar design to the outbox, with the member's name printed at the bottom. The photocards have a glossy finish.

Here are all 18 photocards! I really love this photoshoot; it just looks so serene and natural~

And now onto the coaster! I'm really happy that Woollim included a random practical item in the fankit. This coaster is so pretty with the pastel blue, and then the pastel pink layered in. It's really intricate and brings together the 4th generation design so well.

The coaster is thick too, to my surprise, and the bottom provides a nice grip onto the surface of a table, as it's made of silicone. The coaster is just over 3.5" in diameter.

Here is the coaster on display; the W Ground glass mug fits perfectly on it!

And lastly, the booklet! The front cover is so gorgeous with a smiley family photo of OT9. The covers have a matte finish and the booklet is slightly smaller than 6.7" by 8.3". The booklet is a bit flimsy but the photos are perfection!

The back cover has an aesthetic image, along with the new Goldenness logo in the center and the 10 members' names printed at the top and bottom. I'm so glad they do list out all the members names so that Daeyeol is still present!

This booklet contains 24 pages, including both covers. The booklet starts off and ends with these 2 blankish pages. If only they added more photos of Golcha instead...

The booklet starts off with a gorgeous 2-page spread of Y!

There is 1 individual photo and page per member (other than Y). I love how all these individual photos maximize the space.

There is a small photo of the first 4 members. I love how this group photo looks so impromptu!

And then a 2-page spread containing another group photo. I absolutely love this; it really looks like a family photo!

The middle of the booklet contains another adorable family portrait. At first I was disappointed that this was a booklet instead of a thicker photobook like in the 2nd and 3rd generation kits, but now I appreciate the booklet style so that we can have beautiful 2-page spreads without any detail being lost in the binding.

The second half of the booklet contains photos from the remaining 5 members. This is such a pretty group photo!

There is another really adorable family photo. It would be so pretty to enlarge all of these group photos and hang them up...

The mix of outdoor/backyard shots and indoor/window shots is really beautiful; I love all the natural sunlight that just makes the boys look so radiating.

I've been trying really hard not to bring any bias talk into this post, but I really can't help it...they really ended the photobook with such perfection 🥰

I especially love how the packaging of Golden Child's fankits has really upgraded. It arrived in almost perfect condition, and this is the first time it includes an outbox worthy for display, which is convenient in storing the booklet. I put the 4th generation outbox next to the 2nd generation and 3rd generation photobooks; it's nice how the pop of color brings a bit of life to this shelf^^

Overall, I'm really happy with this membership kit. Golden Child is the first artist where I have consistently joined every generation, and it's fun seeing the evolution of the Goldenness logo and membership card. This generation's photoshoot is definitely my favorite so far as well because of how cozy and natural yet ethereal the boys look. And I love the combination of photos and practical items in this kit. As for actually making use of the membership card, I've been lucky to have used my 1st generation card for Future And Past ticketing, but my 2nd and 3rd generation cards were left untouched. We'll see about this time!

Golden Child: W GROUND Pop-Up Store Woollim Mall Merch Review (Part 1 of 3 - W GROUND MD and Premium Picture Frames)

This past summer, Woollim opened up their pop-up store W GROUND, featuring original Woollim Mall merchandise along with exclusive W GROUND merchandise. I blogged about ordering my W GROUND merchandise here, and I'll break down my unboxing of these items into 3 parts, with this blog post containing the following Golden Child merchandise:

• TRADING CARD (RANDOM 5EA)
• GLASS CUP
• PHOTOBINDER INDEX
• ACRYLIC KEYRING & PHOTOCARD SET
• MASKING TAPE
• Group Premium Picture Frame
• Personal Premium Picture Frame

TRADING CARD (RANDOM 5EA)

Each trading card pack comes with 5 random photocards. The packaging is a sealed plastic sleeve with a label, and a slit towards the top for you to rip open.

There are a total of 5 photocards per member (excluding Daeyeol), with a total of 45 photocards. The photocards all have a glossy finish. The backsides all have the same design, with "W GROUND POP-UP" at the top, the original Golden Child logo in the center, and then that card's number (out of 45) at the bottom. I really like how they numbered them; it makes it much easier for organizing!

Here are majority of the cards! They are all so soft and adorable and I cannot get over them! I think these are my absolute favorite Seungmin photocards ever because of just how soft he is, and Bomin's are all super cute too!

GLASS CUP

The glass cup comes packaged inside a cardboard box. Luckily the product sticker is stuck on the edge not where the flap opens, so I can preserve the sticker^^

Opening up the flap reveals the cup inside. I was worried for the lack of protection, but luckily the cup came in one piece. Another thing to note is that when the artists visited W GROUND, they signed glass cups which were later on placed back into their boxes so those who purchases cups later on in the week onsite had a chance of getting a randomly signed cup.

The glass cup has a handle and is really light to hold. The design is really cute, with what I assume is each member contributing a drawing into the overall design.

PHOTOBINDER INDEX

The photobinder index is by member, with 9 versions total. It is packaged inside a resealable clear plastic bag with a piece of black cardstock. I love that this packaging has the original Golden Child logo displayed on the front.

Here are how the backsides of the packaging look like, with the back listing the member and with the holographic Woollim authentication seal.

Each set also includes 3 9-pocket sheets that fit the usual 3-ring binder just like the photobinder index.

The photobinder index is made of thick plastic and is translucent, as you can see here you how I put Donghyun on top of my W GROUND poster.

I like how you can still see the image clearly from the back as well.

Here are all 9 versions! I love that Golden Child had various photoshoots specifically for W GROUND and their photobook. I am in love with this concept!

Here are how the photobinder indexes look stacked in age order. I love that there are tabs on the right with the members' names.

I'm one who loves to preserve rather than use everything, and I was just planning on putting these into clear sleeves and then into a binder. Additionally I like keeping my photocards in sets rather than sorted by member, so I didn't see a need for these indexes. But when I saw that some of the holes were already removed in Tag's and Jibeom's indexes, and when I realized this would be the perfect way to organize my snapshot Polaroids, I knew I had to use them! So here are my photobinder indexes in good use^^

ACRYLIC KEYRING & PHOTOCARD SET

The acrylic keyring and photocard set is by member, and comes packaged inside a clear resealable bag with a piece of black cardstock similar to the photobinder index. My Donghyun one arrived at a later date so that's why I'm blogging about his in parallel.

Here is Donghyun's! The photocard is inside its own clear resealable bag, faced down, with the keyring on top and then packaged inside the larger resealable bag.

Here is how the backside looks.

Here is a closer look at Donghyun's. The keyring clasp is attached to the cardstock. The bottom of the cardstock lists the member and includes the holographic Woollim authentication seal.

I'll use Seungmin's as my example because it's just so adorable^^ Removing the exterior resealable bag, you can see the keyring clasp is attached to the top of the cardstock, with the photocard directly underneath the keyring.

Here is a closeup of the keyring. The clasp and chain are metal, and attached to that is a black plastic charm with Golden Child's original logo on one side, along with the acrylic charm that the member designed. I really like how Seungmin designed a sports jersey, paying homage to their ongoing youthful and bright concepts.

Flipping the charms over, the backside of the black plastic charm has the member's name in his handwriting, and since the acrylic charm is transparent, all the designs can be viewed properly from either side except for Seungmin's.

Here are the members' keyrings and photocards! All of the keyrings are really adorable, and similar to the trading cards, I love how these photocards are also super soft. These photocards also have a glossy finish.

Donghyun's keyring is so cute!

The backsides of the photocards have a similar design to the trading cards, with "W GROUND POP-UP" printed on top, but this time with the original Golden Child logo at the bottom, and then the member's printed handwritten message and name in the center.

Here is a closeup of Donghyun's. Overall, these keyrings are one of my absolutely favorite types of merchandise Woollim has released. I love that the members designed them, and that these are super easy to bring out in public without being too in-your-face.

MASKING TAPE

The masking tape comes in a plastic box with the product sticker on the bottom. I purposely bought 2; 1 to preserve and 1 to use, but honestly I don't have the heart to use it, so this will probably be my worst review for lack of content >.<

The tape comes in a roll, and there are 10 designs, starting with the original Golden Child logo in blue, followed by an image of each member in age order from the same shoot as the photobinder index. The design is so cute how each image looks like a stamp.

Premium Picture Frame

The premium picture frames are were all via preorder in person at the W Ground Pop-Up Store, and then later signed to be shipped domestically within Korea. Here are how all 9 individual frames look, along with the OT9 group one! I am absolutely in LOVE with this photoshoot, and I can't express how happy I am that Golcha had a fresh photoshoot just for the W GROUND merch. These look like family portraits! And it's interesting seeing Tag's old signature in the individual picture, but his new signature in the group picture. He signed using both styles during the Grand America Tour; when he had more room, he'd sign his old way.

I had ordered Eunbi's premium picture frame from her Color MD before, which was delivered straight to my home rather than needing a Korean proxy, and had no issues with the packaging or condition of the product. But unfortunately for my Golden Child ones, there were quite a few variation of damages...as a note, I'm not complaining about any of this, I just feel it's good to call out potential issues others may see on theirs.

My Y frame had a clear wrap attached to the frame, but the corner was completely ripped. I would just completely remove the wrap, but the autograph appears to be on top of this.

My Jaehyun autograph seems to be coming off; I'm unsure if this was when it was signed, or if the ink came off.

It's hard to see, but the side of my Jaehyun one looks like it was chaffed on something.

For my Donghyun one, the top right in this photo, the corner was bent inward.

As for my Joochan one, it had the opposite issue of my Y one. Here, there was just a piece of clear wrap at the corner, but I could remove it to reveal the actual picture frame.

And for the group frame, there was a scratch.

As well as smear marks. And you can't see it here, but there are also clear drag marks all across the picture (perhaps if you drag bubblewrap across the surface harshly).

Moving on from the defects...here are how the backs of the frames look. The styling is slightly different from Eunbi's Color premium picture photo, but you can refer to that product page here for reference as the W GROUND premium picture frames don't have an online product page. I'm honestly not sure how to hang these up, but I just lean them against the wall rather than hanging them on the wall.

For the most part, these are made of metal with plastic corners in the back where the mount part sticks out, but the picture part feels like Plexiglas. Here you can get an idea of the depth of these frames.

The individual frames are under 11.75" by 17.75", while the group frame is under 19.7" by 15.75". The depth is under an inch. 

I didn't think I'd actually have room to display all the picture frames, but I'm so happy I made it work! And I'm so happy to have talked myself into getting all of them. And once they're up, I really don't notice the flaws at all.

I fit hyung line and the OT9 group at my desk~

Overall, I'm so happy with all the W GROUND merchandise! I like that they're different from MD Woollim had released in the past, and how some of the products incorporate the artists' own drawings. My favorite items are definitely the keyrings and premium picture frames!

Up next I'll blog about the Golden Child photobook and original Woollim Mall MD. And with that, this is my wrap-up of 2022 and can't wait to see what 2023 has in store!