Normally this would be a collection oddities post but we don't own this, nor do we plan to. However, we still thought it had to be shared. So here we have an official Sailor Moon Tattoo Armband:
Isn't that a nice trip back to the mid-nineties "Tattoo" jewelery craze. Back then, there were Tattoo chokers, bracelets, armbands and anklets in every drug store, accessory boutique and vending machine as far as the eye could see. Each made of the same cheap breaks-within-days stretchy plastic in a loopy weave made in a sweatshop somewhere to allow the rest of us a few fleeting moments of fashion bliss. It was a magical time. This particular specimen would have been among the creme de la creme of plastic tattoo jewelry with it's fancy bead embellishments.Though, in spite of it's awe inspiring beauty, it does have a small flaw, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with Sailor Moon.
Now here in North America when we wanted market some stupid crap that had nothing to do with Sailor Moon to the fans we slapped a logo, some crappy semi-related art or at the very least some crescent moons on the item itself. Not Germany though, why would they cheapen such a fantastic timeless piece of jewelry by forcing it to be even loosely moon themed? I imagine the conversation went something like this only in German:
German Marketer 1: Surely marketer 2 you realize that the tattoo jewelry craze completely missed Juban?
German Marketer 2: That hardly matters, have you seen the other items that have been manufactured for this series worldwide?
German Marketer 1: Well, that's an excellent point, but perhaps we should at least put a logo or some crescent moons on it So people know it's loosely affiliated with the Sailor Moon Series?
German Marketer 2: *Scoffs* It's thinking like that that keeps you a Junior Marketer, while I'm a Senior Marketer. Clearly there isn't room for a logo and everyone knows crescent moons are tacky. We want to make plastic jewelry the young women of Germany can appreciate for a lifetime. Clearly such a feat can only be achieved using a beaded flower pattern.
German Marketer 1: Then why are we even bothering to put it in sailor moon packaging instead selling it as just an armband?
German Marketer 2: Naturally so we can charge more for it.
Sure I completely made that up, but clearly given the evidence, something similar had to have taken place. It's the only explanation that makes sense.
Meanwhile, if you want this stunning piece for your own collection, it's currently available on German Ebay Here. I'm pretty sure that seller ships worldwide so for only 1 euro + shipping, you can purchase this fabulous Sailor Moon item and be mid-nintes fabulous no matter where in the world you are. For once I think we'll pass.
~Stephanie
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