ThinkGeek is jumping on the subscription box train with the ThinkGeek Capsule, a box chock full of nerdy goods from one of the top companies for nerd swag. It’s seems like a no brainer for anyone that likes collectibles, but there’s also the chance that ThinkGeek just stuffs their clearance items in a box to get rid of it all once and for all. How does the Capsule stack up?

Before getting into the items in the box, let’s talk about how the Capsule works. Each Capsule is $24.99, with $5 shipping, so it rounds out to right under $30. The Capsule isn’t quite a monthly box–you can order a Capsule until it sells out (even after all the items are revealed). Also, ThinkGeek doesn’t do an automatic subscription like most subscription box sites do, so you don’t have to worry about cancelling.

The box I’m reviewing today is simply the Capsule #3, which was billed to include an item from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. There was originally a delay in getting the box due to ThinkGeek having to wait on one of the items. ThinkGeek was really good at communicating the delay, though.

Now, let’s get into the items themselves:

Justice League Funko Pop!

Funko Pops are quite the popular figurine line, so it’s a no-brainer that ThinkGeek would have one in the Capsule! This Capsule featured the Justice League Pops for the upcoming movie, and you had a chance of getting one of the six. I ended up getting The Flash, which is cool, he’s one of the Justice League members I like more! The other figures are Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, and Cyborg.

Fantastic Beasts Journal

The Fantastic Beasts item for this Capsule is a nice journal! I’m always one for more journals and stationary, and I really like how this cover looks. There were two different covers to get–the one I got is the Obliviate cover, which is in reference to the magic spell that makes people forget things. Fitting for a journal to write stuff down in so you don’t forget!

Collectible Pinz: Cats in Cosplay

These are adorable. A Capsule exclusive, you get… well, a cat in cosplay! There’s a trick, though–the pins are randomly chosen, and you have a chance to get a rare pin. I got one of the more common pins (1 in 5 chance), but there were pins that had a 3 in 100 chance and a super rare pin that doesn’t even have a percentage chance. Regardless, though, the pin is super cute, and has some weight to it.

Retro Travel Tag

This may not be for everyone, but it’s perfect for me! It’s a simple travel tag to stick on some luggage in case it gets lost. I love that it’s in the shape of a floppy disk… of course, I also have a floppy disk pillow so maybe I’m a bit biased. I needed a travel tag too for my suitcase, so now I have one less thing I have to buy. The tag is a nice size and the ‘string’ is made out of plastic, so it’s unlikely to fall off easily.

ThinkGeek Promo Credit

ThinkGeek doesn’t want you to not shop at their online store, after all. This card has a code for promotional credit to use at ThinkGeek, and the value can be anywhere from $5 to $100. My code was only $5, as I’m not exactly the luckiest person around, but free money is free money!

Tardis T-Shirt

The Capsule has a shirt that comes with every box, and this month is a Doctor Who themed shirt. I really like the box that it came in, it’s a nice touch. I’m not the biggest Doctor Who fan, but I do like the design on the shirt.

Overall, I really like what the Capsule provides. It’s a pretty good deal for $30, and while some might complain that the Capsule only covers more ‘popular’ series and whatnot, it’s the best way to please most people that would like to buy a subscription box like this in the first place. It’s well worth it for any swag seeking nerd.

Order the third ThinkGeek Capsule here!

ThinkGeek Capsule Subscription Box Review

GameStop and ThinkGeek, two companies with equally unhealthy desires to upend accepted capitalization norms, are become one, anointed a holy companionship by the economic powers of pop culture collectibles and very large sums of cash. More specifically, GameStop is buying Geeknet, Inc., the corporation responsible for licensed collectibles retailer ThinkGeek.com, at a valuation of $140 million.

Previously, Hot Topic, the most random store in the mall, was vying for Geeknet’s purchase. It looks like GameStop sort of swooped in a put forth a “superior proposal,” as it was referred to in GameStop’s official statement. The video game retailer is even paying out a termination fee to Hot Topic to get its own deal done.

We here at The Checkout enjoy thinking like geeks now and again, sometimes featuring the delectable products on that side of the internet in timely features. Go read them. If reading them is a thing that you might like to do, this absorption of ThinkGeek into the GameStop family should matter to you. Yes, the deal potentially offers the first truely viable physical storefront for ThinkGeek products. GameStop is probably more interested in some other, less direct benefits of the merger.

Some of the stuff from the official GameStop statement on the matter isn’t so corporate as to feel completely devoid of meaning. In fact, some of it might actually hint at GameStop’s intentions for the online retailer. For instance, one stated objective is as follows:

“Drive deeper engagement with GameStop’s core customers, in particular the 40 million global PowerUp Rewards members, by offering them exclusive, unique and cutting edge merchandise related to their favorite entertainment”

GameStop PowerUp Rewards benefits (from GameStop.com).

The PowerUp Rewards loyalty program has never ranked as particularly compelling. The whole rewards part may very well receive an adrenaline shot to the heart through a partnership with ThinkGeek. At the most basic level, some of the ThinkGeek products (far superior to the GameStop memorabilia) might show up on the reward catalog. The more ambitious integration would have members jump right on over to ThinkGeek and simply cash in there. That’s a plan that reads really well on the bullet list of membership perks, at least.

Another stated objective of GameStop’s purchase:

“Utilizes Geeknet’s proprietary product innovation capabilities and established portfolio of premier, hard-to-secure licenses”

The many licenses ThinkGeek trades in (from ThinkGeek.com).

GameStop is a corporation that, like most, thrives and survives through relationships with things people like a lot more than GameStop. Geeknet is tapped into a lot of that stuff, from Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory to Star Wars and Star Trek, not to mention all the video game properties already prevalent on the site. It’s the kind of intangible benefit a behemoth like GameStop values indiscriminately as something that can bleed into any number of profitable cross-venture.

For the soul-saving purpose of avoiding more corporate use, let’s end things on a note of self-promotion that would make faceless, shadowy business executives proud.

GameStop on Ben’s

ThinkGeek on Ben’s

What GameStop Buying ThinkGeek Could Mean for the Two Stores

We’ve hit the halfway mark in the current season of Game of Thrones, which means alliances are set to be demolished, betrayals revealed in only the most violent fashion. In preparation for the impending soul wrenching, allow yourself the occasional splurge so that you might have some object upon which to gingerly lay your quivering hand while your beloved favorite character meets an undoubtedly early grave.

Remember, you could just head over to ThinkGeek and peruse the Game of Thrones ThinkGeek catalog yourself. But what’s the internet for it not a place to let other people do the research for you?

To Keep it All in Perspective

This season has focused disproportionately on the scuttles of the north, pitching us over and over again an impending battle between the Baratheon and Bolton armies at Winterfell. Despite the inherent importance regarding he or she who sits as the Warden of the North, let’s not forget it’s this bad boy, which is 25 percent off right now, that everyone really cares about:

Tiny Chairs on ThinkGeek

Game of Thrones might suggest plurality in it’s title. Above rests the throne above thrones, so should it rest beside you as you partake in the game. Just imagine caressing those silken steely angles while you watch the Mother of Dragons scheme in ambition of it. We live in wonderful times, when replicas of fictional furniture are coveted and gained through electronic transfers that bounce off space pods orbiting the planet earth.

For Manly Reenactments

Though ThinkGeek features plenty of pointy objects under the Game of Thrones marker, it might be preferable to grab a sword that you can actually hit people with without killing them. Here are two such objects, modeled after weapons held by Ned Stark and Jon Snow. They even have their own names.

Foam on ThinkGeek

One is called Ice and the other is called Longclaw. Frankly, I have no idea which is which. Nevertheless, the packaged pair is discounted 25 percent right now, and won’t cost you anything in medical bills.

For When the Whitewalkers Come

If you are insistent on holding something that actually feels like a part of the Game of Thrones world, look no further than this giant dish plate that’s actually a shield. There’s even a handle on the back, just like the ones the Stark soldiers probably used in important battles that happened off-screen.

Circles on ThinkGeek

It’s also worth mentioning, especially since I devoted an entire header to it, that the shield is most certainly a better weapon when fighting the undead. Not only is it uniquely designed to repel bestial biting, it serves as a great cooking surface when the microwaves are no longer functional, which is a huge potential concern in Westeros. This one is currently 10 percent off.

Something that Isn’t Stark-Related

Sick of the Starks? Celebrate their long and torturous demise with some ale served in this fine Dragonscale goblet, complete a yellow tinting at the bottom to destroy any chance at predicting poisonous intent. It’s a part of the Baratheon’s whole dragon and fire theme going on, save for the occasional naked priestess.

Heavy Stuff on ThinkGeek

This item is not discounted right now, which is just how Stannis likes to treat other people.

For Getting Way too Into It

Those who take pride in keeping up with the geography of it all can use this handy map, complete with markers for each important House, to track the movements of all the relevant players. Just remember that you need to know who and who not to show this thing off to.

Carpets on ThinkGeek

If you ever wondered how epic placing things on a mat can possibly get, please, for your own need, watch the following video. Unfortunately, I don’t think the set comes with background music.

Here’s the Best Game of Thrones ThinkGeek Swag

The internet’s intersection of geekery and shopping addiction, ThinkGeek.com, is always spurring out some new licensed goodies for the masses. We’d like to take a moment and highlight some of their best new products from over the past couple of weeks, particularly those with a flair for the ridiculous and endearing. To start, here are some yoga pants.

At ThinkGeek

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. went on a break while the other Marvel comic book show,  Agent Carter, took the spotlight on ABC. That’s all done and over now, as Agent Coulson and his embattled team try to deal with their latest threat, the newly Inhuman Sky come March 3. Naturally, you should be wearing yoga pants for the occasion, just in case you end up jumping out of your seat. Or something. File this one under ridiculous, but it’s an exclusive ridiculous for ThinkGeek and, as such, deserves to be seen by all.

Next up we have something with far less utility but far more fluffiness, the more important quality in random internet things.

At ThinkGeek

Guardians of the Galaxy is forever cemented as a bastion of merchandising for Marvel, which in no small way is due to Rocket Raccoon and Groot’s partnership as heroes of texture, the tangible and the not. Consider the above plush a peek into the damaged psyche of our violent raccoon friend, a wee baby just trying to eek out a smile while everybody tries to kill and torture each other.

At ThinkGeek

Did you ever feel like something was amiss in your living room? Like something didn’t “fit,” per se? Or maybe you just weren’t satisfied with a lack of the in-your-face, I’m a gigantic nerd kind of furnishing the type-A expressive inside you desires so strongly. In any case, here are pillows that fit together, you nutcase.

At ThinkGeek

Fair warning: this replica Borderlands 2 gun, Moxxi’s Bad touch, which she gives you in-game after enough tips, is overpriced nonsense, but it’s the kind of rare, overpriced nonsense that drives the very soul of dedicated cosplayers worldwide. Take a deep breath. It’s $650. Only 500 units will be produced. Only 500 people will ever know the simultaneous shame and pride of owning such a thing.

At ThinkGeek

I’ve included these two Aliens Minimates for the singular purpose of reigniting our faith in online shopping after baring witness to the ludicrous Moxxi’s Bad Touch replica. We need a break. These guys only cost $6. And they can fit in your pocket. How quaint.

Lately on ThinkGeek: Rocket Racoon, Pillows and Yoga Pants

Launched at the comic book nirvana known as Comic-Con, the “Tingling Electronic Spidey Sense Shirt” is a new product from ThinkGeek. On the back of the shirt located at the neckline, a large proximity sensor kicks in with a vibrating pulse any time someone attempts to sneak up behind you. The sensor clips onto the shirt, thus allowing the user to wear a variety of different shirts with the sensor attached. However, ThinkGeek does include a black T-shirt with a sweet illustration of Spider-Man’s Spidey Sense kicking into overdrive due to impending danger.

Interestingly, the pulse increases in vibration intensity as someone approaches. At five feet away, the pulse is slow while someone just one foot away triggers a fast pulse. The sensor operates on two AAA batteries and has been officially licensed by Marvel. That probably accounts for the steep price of $39.99 for both the sensor and shirt.

Presumably, anyone with long hair wouldn’t be able to wear the sensor as it would be going off constantly. It would also be somewhat annoying to wear this in busy, crowded areas of major cities like NYC or Los Angeles. The tingling would simply go on forever until the batteries wore out or you smashed the device in anger. It’s also ridiculously massive and easy to spot if you were sneaking up on someone.

However, it could be fun to wear during Halloween with a solid Spidey costume. Thinkgeek is likely betting on that with the October 2013 release date. If you are interested in the  Spidey Sense Shirt, you can pre-order it on ThinkGeek here. Check out a shot of the actual shirt below:

This is a Thing: Spidey Sense T-Shirt with Proximity Sensor