tokidoki Mermicorno Backpack

My daughter loves this backpack. It was less than half the cost of items from the artists site but it was a real trick finding someplace to replace the zipper after only a month of use.

First day of school gift for my granddaughter and she loved it.

Summary below if you want a quick opinion (Disclaimer: Current opinion is initial impression based, might update in future, and I am not a clothing/accessories reviewer but I will give my best shot)As said in the title, for a good amount of my teenage years, I have praised tactical gear in general (in this review, I will only talk/compare about tactical backpacks), I have worn backpacks by 5.11 and I put that as the standard for quality. My requirements for a backpack at a minimum are that it has to put durability above general design, equipped with MOLLE webbing so I can throw on a bunch of attachments, Oxford, Cordura fabric, YKK Zippers, must be able to haul a heavy load without breaking, etc. You know the point, for me it is tactical backpack or pass.But time changes, as my mindset changes and I look to make my depressing student life a bit cuter, a lot of time I saw Tokidoki merchandise on the streets where I lived, it was eye catching, all of their merchandise from figures to clothing and accessories. So one day, I decided that I will experience something out of my tactical bubble that I locked myself in. I go on here to see Tokidoki backpacks, and right when I see the price, I know immediately that I could be gambling my sacred durability for some fancy prints and a brand name (which that mindset of buying because of the brand I once highly despite and are not accustomed to), so I bought 2 of them, this backpack which I couldn’t find more information other than on this Amazon page (perhaps it is discontinued) and a mini backpack (I know, I am a guy, but whatever). And after seeing all the negative review complaining about the flimsiness, the lack of carrying capabilities, the fabric thinness and one that concerned me the most is the zippers, I am must say that the backpack did exceed my expectations.1. Uses 4/10 (not much use other than as a school bag)Well viewing from my perspective, I am definitely not going to be rough (or be rough at all without this breaking) on this pack like I did with my 5.11s, no camping, no cycling, no grocery shopping, etc. So, this is definitely for me to go to school (I am 16, doing IGCSE) with it, carry some light A4 documents and maybe a few ring binders, and for people who are interested to see if it can carry a laptop, I wouldn’t recommend if you have anything other than the lightest notebooks (Macs, Surfaces,…), Chromebooks and ultrabooks and devices smaller than that. I operate a gaming laptop so that is a bummer for me, I will not risk carrying my 2000$ Asus ROG with this pack. For now, I store my art equipment inside, a few sketchbooks, paint tubes, canvas, and it is holding up.2. Build quality 7/10 (Ok for the price, but definitely can improve at some aspects)Now, this perhaps is very improper for me to compare a cheap school backpack to my 5.11s I have on hand, but that is all I could provide (with experience other than guessing). The fabric, while it seems to be woven and Oxford, it is quite thin as I expected, I can see my hands and the print from inside to outside. The general feel is nice, both the inner layer and outer layer fabric. Overall weight of the pack, for me, it is scarily light, for a long time I have not used a backpack this light, but perhaps it could be good for certain people, mainly elementary students and children. While I have a nice impression about the touch feel of the fabric, the wearing experience could not be said the same, the shoulder straps are horrifying thin in width and thickness, it makes me feel like it's not holding on properly because of the lack of weight and foam padding (again, maybe better for children). And the part that I do not like are the nylon straps, this stuff is low grade and quite thin, I don’t feel very good having it either as shoulder straps or the carry handle. The shoulder straps are bound to the nylon strap using an alloy loop, while it looks good, it slips around quite easily when you wiggle, un-adjusting your length, I would take a teethed common plastic loop rather than this for ease of use. And for my part I should be most concerned, I am not, the zipper setup on the main compartment is…serviceable, I have been pulling it all over to see any cough up, split or snagging (failure in general), and I don’t see any of them. But the zipper does feel quite cheap and I don’t think it will have a long life span, but for the price (of course, maybe marked up because of the brand), no realistic complaints on the zipper for now, but I would have preferred a dual zipper on the main compartment, but I can see the simplistic design ethics of a single zipper. The zippers are well covered in case of rain with a nice flap of fabric, I think it will stand up fine in small rain, heavier rain, I am not sure. But the overall build quality is ok for the price.3. Design 10/10 ( I might love Tokidoki right after this first product design wise)What can I say? Just look at the thing, its so criminally cute that my depression is shivering in the corner of the room. My knowledge about design still remains the same, the better an item looks, it is usually not durable, and I can say, yes, my dismay about the zipper, the nylon straps, are all about durability. That is sacrificed to create a very simplistic, minimalistic, cute design. Being minimalistic have sacrificed a lot of features that I liked such as compression straps, foam paddings, compartments, MOLLE system, front pouch attachment for necessities, elastics that hold the straps in place, but that is fine as I think the main demographic of children will not look forward to being as practical as I am. The aquatic blue theme is just soothing to look at, and of course the Mermicornos and other characters on the print, they are so world-ending cute that I feel like I am going to hug the pack to hug all of them. While I don’t have much to say about the design, it captured my soul even if I only liked tactical packs in the few years back.4. SummaryOverall, I think I had a fine experience with this backpack, it is cute, it should serves the main demographic (children) well. While you shouldn’t ignore the build quality just because of my review, I think that it will hold on for an acceptable amount of time for the price paid. I look forward to what other Tokidoki products have to offer (yes, even if I am a guy that might be bullied for wearing Tokidoki). Pictures included are to compare the Tokidoki pack with my 5.11 Rush 24, which I consider my standard for backpacks (pictures edited with text, sorry for low quality) +Not much uses other than for school +Build quality is ok for the price +World ending cute designThanks for taking your time!

My granddaughter asked for this and loved it. I liked the good quality and we both loved the bright colors.

The backpack is super cute. No doubt about that. But, as other reviewers warned, it's crappy quality. We've been using for about two months and the zipper frequently comes off track and has to be coaxed back together again. I assume this thing will barely make it out of the school year. It is really very adorable, though.

I bought this beginning of last school year for my daughter. She is 9 and does not baby her bags. It’s been washed several times and still looks perfect!!! I’ll post pictures another day

Nice backpack, is not a very good quality backpack, but the design is great, like all the tokidoki stuff

Great! Adorable and holding up well. Good value.

The product is great! Exactly as pictured, sturdy, vibrant colours, and great pattern placement. My niece is so excited for this backpack.This isn't necessarily a note for the seller - the product arrived sooner than expected, but I would've waited longer if I didn't have to use the Amazon shipper. What a horrible experience! I will be trying to avoid Intelcom Express/Amazon shipping service (Canada) if possible in the future and I'd suggest anyone else do the same.

Good size, nice design, but not made for everyday wear and tear. If you want a backpack for occasional use and not too heavy items this is great. Strong-ish materialbut no lining. Daughter loves it, so all is good.

Great backpack. Good size too (not small at all)

Material is not as sturdy as traditional Tokidoki fabrics and does not have the antimicrobial linings typically seen on Bambino items. However, this was purchased to be a back-up day bag for our toddler (diapers, wipes, changes of clothing, etc.) and works exceptionally well, as long as you don't overfill it. Hope to have our daughter use it for school as she gets older and if it lasts! Price point is not terrible in comparison to other Tokidoki merchandise and generally worth it if you take care of the item.

Ma fille de 10 ans l adore