The Sphere's packaging is, by far, the worst part of this product. It is clearly made to sit on a store shelf and attract the attention of consumers. As a result, it is less than informative and overly flashy. This "con" is more than an issue of aesthetics and personal opinion; as I will explain, the marketing-driven packaging sends mixed messages and is SO ridiculous and over-the-top that it makes me question the quality of the product.
But first, the storage aspect of the package...
The Sphere itself sits in a plastic casing which snaps shut. Also contained in this casing are the instruction pamphlet and complimentary velvet bag. This clear casing slides into a colorful plastic sleeve. This sleeve is highly decorated and is where most of the "information" for the Sphere can be found (see below). Poking through the plastic casing and packaging sleeve is a "Try Me" bulb of the plush silicone. This "Try Me" silicone is nice for showing off the plushness of the product to a friend, but its novelty is short-lived since it quickly attracts fuzzies and becomes dirty. Of course, this can be easily fixed by washing the sample, but who really wants to repeatedly wash a "Try Me" swatch of silicone? This sample is also detachable (it's attached to the casing with crappy glue); however, if you do remove it, there is a gaping hole where the "Try Me" had once poked out. Ya can't win for losing with this one!
And now, the sleeve...
Where to begin??! The sleeve is cluttered with graphics, measurements, diagrams, instructions, cautions, notices, symbols, and more! The front of the sleeve shows a graphic of outer space (don't ask why), clearly shows off the Sphere, and has lots of flashy non-informational phrases to draw attention (i.e. - "Be One," "beauty in its purest form," "Safest Material on the planet," "Where the FUN begins!*" and on and on and on!). The back of the sleeve shows a labeled diagram of the Sphere, a diagram on how to insert batteries, basic information and tips about silicone (in 6 languages), cautions/warnings (also in 6 languages), a visual representation of the "10 Dynamic Rhythms," and some more symbols. Phew! With so much clutter and so much "information," the packaging is bound to send mixed signals. And it does. For example, the basic information provided about silicone says that it is "Water Repellent" and "Dishwasher Safe." Yes, that is true for silicone, BUT the toy is NOT 100% waterproof and NOT dishwasher safe (If you read further on in the cautions, the packaging states that "This product cannot provide water resistance in the bath or in the pool. Waterproof can only be provided when in the shower or while it is being cleaned with water."). Reading the package in its entirety, while necessary, is tiring on the eyes: the print is very difficult to read because of its extremely small size (about size 6 or 7 font) and because it is black ink on a multicolored background. The only reassuring information found on the sleeve are the notes which state that the Sphere is made in compliance with the European Standard of Safety of Toys and the EC Directive.
Symbols are also sprinkled all over the packaging. Some of these symbols are legit, others are fake. In my opinion, this is a red flag, as I see this as trying to "trick" consumers into thinking the symbol signifies a special feature, special recognition, or something of that nature. I have pin-pointed two fake symbols. The first is a symbol with the words "Technobeat 10." This could very well be a reference to the 10 levels of vibration, but it looks more like an award for being in a "Top 10" of some sort, since there is no other reference or explanation as to what "Technobeat" is. The second is a symbol with the words "Trendy & Innovative." This symbol is among the legit symbols for recycling, CE (China Export), and Do Not Throw Away. Its placement makes it seem that it is a legitimate sign; again, it makes it seem as if the Sphere has won some sort of award when, in fact, this symbol does not mean anything at all. In my opinion, this is very misleading and makes me question why this product is so uber-marketed.
But wait, there's more!
The "informational" pamphlet included in the packaging is terrible, too! It is generic and obviously used for all of NMC's toys (for example, under the Warnings section, #3 is "In case of NON-WATERPROOF vibrators..."; #4 is "In case of WATERPROOF vibrators..." The pamphlet does not distinguish which the Sphere is). The diagram of how to insert batteries is wrong, hence the diagram included on the already cluttered packaging sleeve. To boot, there is NO information anywhere about NMC, the manufacturer, except that it is located in Hong Kong. I even Googled "NMC Ltd" to see if I could get any more information, but the company has no website. The fact that there is so much flashy misleading going on and no information about WHO is making this toy really, really creeps me out. Other details that further the sketchiness and low-quality-factor of this product are the poor spelling and the unfinished/unedited nature of the product (i.e. - "ecstasy" is misspelled, the pamphlet says "DD/MM/YY" in the upper right-hand corner, etc.).
Seriously, I could go on about how sketchy the packaging is, but I will (finally) digress. I think you get the idea.