KIPP Brothers/Toys Product Reviews for Items to Pack in Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

I have been doing reviews on the Simply Shoeboxes Facebook page of some products I've bought online for my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.  I hoped to help people know what they're getting before they order, and thought I'd try to start doing blog posts of them, for those who may not be on Facebook.

We had ordered from Kipp Brothers years ago when packing OCC shoeboxes from a VBS offering at our church, and were happy with the items.  Now, like a decade later I looked them up online.  They have free shipping at $250.  I watched their Facebook page for a while, until I saw free shipping deal on $100 (+10% off, which was more manageable for my budget.  It has some items just by a dozen, but many come by 50 or a Gross (a dozen, dozens = 144). 

Note:  Links in this post were up to date at time of publishing. Some items may no longer be available.

Metal Stone Rings $16.95 for 36, so $0.47 a piece.  I really enjoyed having a ring or two like this as a child, so when I saw them I decided to send them in my 10-14 girl boxes.  They say

they are “child size”  but even seem a little large for my fingers (which are admittedly small), but they are adjustable, so should still work fine!

Tote Bags $4.95 for a  dozen, so $0.41 per bag.  These are 1 foot by 1 foot made out of fused fabric like reusable shopping bags.

Plastic Dinosaurs $9.95  for 144, so $0.07 per figure.  These are sturdy, colorful little dinosaurs.  Not all may stand up really well, but since they’re to play with and may be used on dirt, were I think they’d stand better than the counter I tried them on.  There are 6 designs and 2 colors (not always evenly mixed).

 Train Engine Whistles $12.95 for 144 or $0.09 per whistle.  These are very bright and colorful.  The plastic is a little thin, but I think it will hold up okay, when you blow hard it doesn’t do real well, making a sound, but once you realize/get the hang of doing it not 100% pressure you can really make it sound like a train whistle!!!!   It also has a loop/hole, so it can be strung on a string if desired.  

 Realistic Turtles Assortment $9.95 for 48, so $0.21 per turtle.   These are 2″, and very bright and colorful!  There are 5 designs, all painted with colors/patters.  I’m really happy with these!!  

 Hoppin Froggy Friends $3.95 for 144, so $0.03 a piece.   After a couple tries I got the hang of these & they do jump well, 6 inches or more.  Their legs may eventually rip, but all in all, decently sturdy.   I thought I could tuck a few in the box randomly for them to play with…or include more, maybe with instructions and target to make a game. 

Colorful Whistles 2.95 / Dozen so $0.25 each.  These are nice and VERY loud!  I was pleasantly surprised that they had wooden beads in them.  Very colorful!  

Stencil Rulers $9.95 /144 piece(s) so $0.07 a piece.  These were smaller than I pictured (although the size advertised, I just hadn’t thought it through), but they are very sturdy (although stiff, so could be snapped) and seem to be good quality.  They don’t have metric, only inches for measuring.  But for the price, I think it’s a fun little extra, or an affordable way to add them to boxes the budget doesn’t normally allow for it.

Brass Reeds Harmonicas  $16.95 for 6 so $2.83 each.       These were a splurge.  I thought it’d be fun to add to some boxes , almost as a WOW item.  Not sure about their quality, I’m not a harmonica person myself, but they seem nice and have a cute little case.  They’re described as “5″ metal and plastic with 32 brass reeds.

Wooden Yo-Yos $9.95 for a dozen so $0.83 per Yo-Yo.  The string on these are thick, and about a yard long.  A little shorter than normal it felt to me, but for a child would probably be great.  They seem pretty sturdy, the string is glued in with the dowel rod connecting the side, so it makes it easier to re-wind the string on if you fail to bring it up.

I've reviewed even more shoebox items from Kipp-read the review of those items here.