Oreo ended 2018 in peak novelty fashion with the release of the Oreo Music Box – a tiny turntable that “plays” Oreo cookies. Place any regulation-size Oreo on the disc and you’ll hear a selection of pre-loaded music. You can also record your own audio that subsequently gets tacked onto the start of the music. It comes in a tin with a selection of Oreos inside (as if anyone who would buy this doesn’t already have a stash?)
I was really happy to see an Oreo holiday item that wasn’t flavor-related. I love the flavor releases, but I appreciate it when well-known brands go deep with imagination and whimsy. This product debuted in China in Fall of 2017. I was thrilled to hear it was landing on our shores and even more so to find one under my Christmas tree.
The music box itself felt surprisingly sturdy, despite the cardboard and plastic exterior. When I placed an Oreo on and moved the stylus into place, it did “play” music. The volume was decent, and audio quality was exactly what I expected – not great, but not bad for what was essentially a novelty toy.
As promised, as I bit chunks from the cookie, the music tracks changed. Each cut was a slightly different take on a vaguely familiar tune I think I’d heard in past Oreo campaigns. Adorable! I was a little disappointed there was no way to program your own music or audio beyond the 30-second record feature.
The record feature also worked fine, although the volume was a notch lower than the pre-loaded music and the instructions had error in them. (The double red light never appeared – it went right to green and was recording.)
I say “play” in quotes because this music box doesn’t work like a record player. It’s not reading information stored in the cookie. It’s reading the presence and position of an object on the turntable to trigger a programmed audio clip.
As best I can tell, it works based on five sensors on the turntable. As long as one of them is covered by a solid object, it will spin and “play.” I tried it with various objects – a Wheat Thin, a pat of butter, a quarter and a tiny slip of paper. The only one that didn’t work was the paper, I suspect because the light in the stylus could shine through to the sensor.
This is a great gift for an Oreo-lover or toy for a child. It’s cute and does exactly what it says. I loved it. It’s well-made and could last, but the limited audio options make it something that may not hold attention long. The price point is a bit high for a novelty you use a handful of times, but possibly worth it in sheer delight.
Music Courtesy of Loyalty Freak Music.
Purchased Price: $19.99
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Amazon
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: N/A