Merch Spotlight: Kanamit Tin Tote

Vintage metal lunch boxes are highly collectible, so it comes as no surprise that we’d be seeing new ones popping up in the vintage style with modern branding. They’re now called tin totes, apparently; I guess most people aren’t using them as lunch boxes, which is probably why they aren’t packing matching plastic thermoses inside.  BifBang Pow! jumps into the tin tote fray with the Kanamit Tin Tote ($12.99 plus shipping), available now.

Back (same as front, unfortunately).

Left side.

 Right side.

 Top.

 Bottom.

Not a whole lot to say about it either way:  it’s a metal lunchbox, so if you grew up in the seventies or earlier, you probably had a few (I remember having a Marvel Super Heroes one, and maybe a Star Wars one too).  It seems a bit small, but I guess my hands are much bigger than they were in the second grade (I have the same problem with Hostess products… well, had, now that they've vanished from the earth).

If I have a complaint (and you know I do; don’t I always?), it’s about the graphic design choice.  It’s frankly a bit loud and obnoxious, nearly identical to the 2013 TZ Calendar that I blasted a couple of months back (perhaps the same person designed it? I dunno).  I get a graffiti vibe from it, which isn't a compliment.  I can think of so many classy, elegant, mega-cool designs for this. For starters, how about a black and white background (say a starry night sky), with the Kanamit on the front, the Kanamit space ship on the back, and the Kanamit language blurb (“To Serve Man”) on the sides?  Bif Bang Pow! has been great about respecting the black and white nature of The Twilight Zone on so many other items… it’s puzzling why they splashed so much blue onto this.

The upcoming Doorway to The Twilight Zone Tin Tote, meanwhile, looks mostly monochromatic (and elegantly classy), so I’ll definitely be ordering it (it’s due sometime in March).