Five greatest moments in unboxing history

In this era of online ordering, getting stuff in the mail is much more common than it was a decade ago. No longer are consumers forced to wait in long lines, dealing with other people's smells and peanut gallery comments. Yes, we're in the midst of an unboxing trend that...

By Nick Lucchesi

November 10, 2010

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In this era of online ordering, getting stuff in the mail is much more common than it was a decade ago. No longer are consumers forced to wait in long lines, dealing with other people's smells and peanut gallery comments. Yes, we're in the midst of an unboxing trend that seems to gain strength every week. Nowadays one can order a repressing of collector's edition of their favorite record, a limited edition video game console or exclusive video game online from the comfort of their mother's basement -- and then they can share the pride of opening their new favorite toy with the entire world via YouTube. These videos serve as a hold-over while we're waiting for our very own iPhone 4 or Xbox 360, and for that we're thankful. And a little confused.

5. Unboxing: Green Day Ultimate Collectors' 7" Vinyl Singles Box Set Haven't heard these singles a thousand times on the radio, TV commercials, within movies and in shopping malls? Course you haven't! Which is why Green Day issued this box set. In all seriousness, collector boxes are among the coolest things to "unbox," if you will, because bands large and small focus on the packaging first, as the music has already been released.

4. 1985 Buick Electra Park Avenue Brochure unboxing / quick overview You might be thinking to yourself, "who in the world collects sales brochures for 1980s Buicks? We thought the same thing. If you have any theories, please post them in the comments. Color us stumped.

3. Zune 120GB unboxing I'm not entirely sure this unboxing video wasn't produced or funded in conjunction with Microsoft to astro-turf some buzz about this product. Sure, there are dozens of unboxing videos on YouTube that showcase Mac products, but the Zune? I mean, come on, it's a Zune. Even the oft-too-obvious writers of Family Guy had to make fun of it. Zune!

2. TERMINATOR 2 T-800 PREMIUM FORMAT FIGURE UNBOXING The hyper-critical wife who is holding the camera is the funniest part of this video that has several interesting elements: the child who wails because he thought the Terminator toy was a Sponge Bob toy he was expecting, or the fact that he's stoked he's getting a toy version of Arnold Schwarzenegger ("I got the governor of California right in my home.")

1. Fallout New Vegas Collector's Edition Unboxing! Shirts optional, enthusiasm is a must. Just enjoy this video.

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