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!

Ordering My Golden Child W GROUND Pop-Up Store Woollim Mall Merch

To celebrate Woollim's 20th anniversary, Woollim Mall (powered by Everline) opened up pop-up store W GROUND from September 17th, 2022 through September 25th, 2022. This store sold new merchandise for current artists Nam Woohyun, Lee Sujeong, Golden Child, Rocket Punch, Drippin, and Kwon Eunbi and held special events such as gacha machines, fansigns, and video calls.

The merchandise and corresponding events were exclusive to the pop-up store, until September 25th at 9PM KST (30 minutes after the application period closed) Woollim announced that Golden Child's photobook and Drippin's behind book would be open for online preorders that would also qualify for their associated fansign and video call events. And then on September 28th, Woollim announced that online sales for the pop-up store goods would also be available starting on September 29th at 12PM KST until goods are sold out.

I checked Woollim Mall at 12:05PM KST on September 29th, and all pop-up store items were listed. For the photobinder index, Y's was already sold out. As many products were already sold out at the pop-up store but could be preordered to be shipped at a later day, I thought more items would be sold out during the beginning of online sales, but perhaps they did produce more goods in anticipation of online sales. I checked again on November 16th KST, and Bomin's keyring is also sold out, along with the masking tape and trading card packs.

I'm really truly grateful to my friend for enduring so much to get me everything I had requested. I cannot express how much this means to me, and just how happy I am with all these items and knowing that my collection now includes pop-up store goods (I don't have any NIT Shop merch >.<).

As much as I identify being a Woollim stan (for their artists and always releasing quality music!), ever since the announcement of Golden Child's US tour, I've shifted my focus solely on Golden Child. They definitely make me exponentially happier and with the amount of merch being released now in comparison to during debut, I know I need to budget and prioritize (not to mention how all of this happened prior to the announcement of Golden Child's second tour...)...so anyways, my future unboxing review will be only for Golden Child's merchandise from W Ground!

Golden Child W GROUND Pop-Up Store Official MD:

Offline Goods:

• 2022 GOLDEN CHILD 1ST PHOTOBOOK 'THE'
• TRADING CARD (RANDOM 5EA)
• GLASS CUP
• PHOTOBINDER INDEX (SELECTIVE PURCHASE BY MEMBER)
• ACRYLIC KEYRING & PHOTOCARD SET (SELECTIVE PURCHASE BY MEMBER)
• MASKING TAPE

While my friend was able to get majority of the items at the pop-up store, she did have to order the Donghyun keyring for me, which arrived at my Korean address on October 12th KST.

Pre-Order:

These premium pictures are truly exclusive to the pop-up store, though they were only for preorders to be shipped in the future.

• Group Premium Picture Frame
• Personal Premium Picture Frame (selective purchase by member)

People started receiving their individual member frames on November 24th. I received my individual member frames at my Korean address on November 25th KST, and the group frames on November 30th KST.

Original Woollim Mall Goods:

Along with the exclusive pop-up store merchandise, the physical pop-up store also carried the below items that were released during Woollim Mall's launch but still haven't sold out (though I believe the light stick was added for online purchase in June 2021 in line with Goldenness 3rd generation recruitment).

• GOLDEN CHILD OFFICIAL LIGHT STICK
• GOLDEN CHILD CAP
• GOLDEN CHILD LIGHT STICK POUCH
• GOLDEN CHILD ECOBAG
• GOLDEN CHILD CINEMA KIT
• GOLDEN CHILD PHOTO SET

My Goods:

This is everything my friend was able to get for me at the pop-up store! I can't express how happy I am to have all of this! (As for the Donghyun keyring, it arrived much later so it's not pictured here). From the original Woollim Mall goods, I was able to get the hat, ecobag, and light stick pouch, which were the 3 items I was missing. As for the W Ground merch, I was able to get everything, except for a full set of the trading cards.

Here is a closeup of the exclusive W Ground freebies: the shopping bag, the poster, and various artist pins from the gacha events.

And here are the premium picture frames! I'm so happy to have gotten all 10, especially when Golden Child had a new photoshoot just for W Ground as opposed to using extra photos from their most recent comeback like the other artists.

I'll blog about all these goods in my upcoming posts!

Golden Child: AURA Woollim Mall Merch Review

Golden Child made their long awaited Korean comeback AURA on August 8th, 2022, and to no surprise, Woollim Mall dropped accompanying AURA merch! On August 12th at 12PM Woollim tweeted that online preorders have opened and will be until supplies last.

Golden Child 6th Mini Album [AURA] Official MD:

• COLLECT BOOK + HOLOGRAM PHOTOCARD SET / 30,000₩ / $25.41 USD
• HOLOGRAM GLASS + HOLOGRAM PHOTOCARD (1EA) / 27,000₩ / $22.87 USD
• SCRAP BOOK + STICKER SET / 18,000₩ / $15.25 USD

The hologram glass sold out within a few days, followed by the collect book. I'm super grateful to my friend to help me secure my order within 10 minutes.

The item pages state that shipping will begin on August 22nd. On August 24th Korean Ness started receiving their AURA merch. I received tracking info on September 6th and my package arrived via UPS on September 12th.

My friend also had her package shipped to my place, so I'll partly blog with both packages. Now Everline's packages have the whole "take video of your unboxing" printed directly on the outside of their boxes.

The hologram glass was placed inside its own bubblewrap bag then wrapped around itself. Underneath were the collect book on top of the scrap book inside a shared bubblewrap bag.

Unfortunately for one of the hologram glass boxes arrived with a large dent to its packaging, but luckily the contents inside were in perfect condition.

Here are all 3 products together!

COLLECT BOOK + HOLOGRAM PHOTOCARD SET

The collect book comes in a clear resealable plastic bag, with the product sticker and holographic Woollim authentication seal on the backside of the packaging. Opening up the bag, you can really smell the vinyl scent (it reminds me of those vinyl collect books for Pokemon cards that I had back in the day...)...which makes me skeptical on if the sleeves are PVC free and acid free...

Here is the collect book! Looking at the item listing on Woollim Mall, this book is made of PVC. It has a nice cushy cover and the design matches the cover of the limited version of AURA. Both the spine and the front cover have AURA printed, and the top of the cover also has "GOLDEN CHILD 6TH MINI". The group photo used as the front cover is the same image as the first press mini poster. The collect book is about 4.375" by 5.5" by 1.375".

Here are how the covers of the collect book look like. I like how the design is continuous from the front cover through the spine and then to the back cover. The back cover also has the new Golden Child logo printed in the center. This collect book also comes with a set of hologram photocards, which came in a clear resealable bag placed inside the center of the collect book.

The inside cover has a plastic sleeve to store the photo for the front cover. On the front cover this is actually an open window, so the photo is exposed. Following are the pages for the photocards, with 2 sleeves per side.

Here is how the middle of the book looks like and how the pages look bound to the spine. There are a total of 16 single pages (or 32 pages counting both sides), enough to fit 64 photocards.

The photocards came in age order from oldest to youngest. The hologram layer adds a pretty sheen.

The backs of the photocards also have that same pretty sheen from the hologram effect. Matching the cover of the collect book, the top has printed "GOLDEN CHILD 6TH MINI" and the middle has "AURA". The bottom of each card also has the member's name printed. The photocards have a glossy finish.

HOLOGRAM GLASS + HOLOGRAM PHOTOCARD (1EA)

Following the set of hologram photocards from the collect book, there is also a hologram glass. This glass comes in a cardboard box, with the top flap taped shut by a matte sticker with a similar design to the limited edition cover of AURA. I was a bit excited and opened both boxes before taking a picture >.< The backside of the box has the product sticker and holographic Woollim authentication seal.

Opening up the top flap reveals the glass, along with the random photocard slipped between the glass and the backside of the box.

The photocard comes in a clear resealable bag and is random out of 9. My friend and I pulled Tag and Bomin! (Thank you to my friend for letting me have Bomin; I can't believe just how excited I was when I saw him as the second card we pulled 😅).

Like the glass, the photocard is also holographic on both sides. The backside is also really pretty with what appears to be a closeup of a design similar to this era's logo, and then with the member's name printed at the bottom. The photocard has a glossy finish.

The glass had one layer of protective wrap inside, and another layer wrapped around the outside and bottom.

The glass is quite interesting! I wasn't sure how a glass could be holographic, but it has a sheen that is really apparent in photos, but in person it is much more translucent than opaque. Here you can see the transparency against my background. The glass also has "AURA GOLDEN CHILD 6TH MINI" along with this era's logo, which in my opinion seems so random on the glass...

The glass is about 5.75" tall and about 2.375" in diameter at the top. Here you can see the translucency of the glass with Bomin's photocard behind it. Also this is just another excuse for me to lowkey showcase Bomin^^

I took another picture at night and here you can see how clear the glass can be, and then the text and logo have a nice opaque metallic hue.

SCRAP BOOK + STICKER SET

The scrapbook comes packaged inside a silver zip lock bag with the product sticker on the top left.

This set comes with the scrapbook on top, followed by 3 matte sheets of stickers.

Here are the sticker sheets. They include an image of each member (which all look to be different photos from either album photobook, except maybe Seungmin's...), a printed autograph, a printed name, this era's logo, and random designs reminiscent of AURA.

The scrapbook is a thin booklet bound together by two staples at the spine. The covers are matte and unfortunately prone to scratches (mine arrived with scratches on the front cover). I was pleasantly surprised at all the text and the logo being embossed, adding a nice quality to it.

The scrapbook is about 5.75" by 8.3125" by 0.125". The first page has the album title and this era's logo printed in the center.

The first half contain a double sided page per member, with the member's name printed at the top, an enlarged logo in the center, and then a blank page on the other side.

The next section contains graph paper, along with this era's logo at the bottom.

The remaining pages are in this format, with numbered lines up top and a section to add a date, like a journal entry.

Overall, I have gotten to the point where I just instantly buy any official merch without even knowing what I ordered...and seeing all the AURA merch first hand, these are all items I definitely don't need...I like protecting my photocards in PVC free and acid free sleeves and organizing my cards in complete collections, and I like displaying all my polaroids, so I don't really have a purpose for a collect book. But I do like the concept of a collect book, and this one is really cute how it matches the albums well. As for the glass, it's too precious for me to drink out of, but I don't see myself displaying it either. And lastly the scrapbook, I could never get myself to use it, but it is a cute idea! I wish the book itself were nicer than a stapled booklet though.

I didn't mean to be so negative about the merch; overall I love that they're all practical items that come with photocards as a bonus. And I'll find a place on my shelves for the collect book and glass~