Lauren’s Showbag Review for 2022

The Royal Adelaide show started this weekend on the 3rd of September. We haven’t had one for 3 years and this is all you need to know about this year’s show bag selection.

First off, every one knows that you have to check out the Showbag guide before you even rock up to the show. There is one online as well as the one that I think is printed in the major newspaper. Then you can go straight to the ones that caught your eye so you’re not wandering around in the most crowed place of the showground for too long.

As you scroll through the options, you can see that there are some classics and some newbies up for grabs. As expected, you have all the favourite chocolate and lolly related showbags like Bertie Beetle, Nestle, and Cadbury. This year, Bertie Beetle has a additional showbag called the Bertie Beetle Retro. This uses an older logo and is filled with your choice of merch from a bucket hat, mug, or socks. I think this is a cute idea as there are loads of Bertie Beetle fans who would love the nostalgia.

I am not a little kid, so I didn’t have an extensive look at the toy and character kids showbags, but from what I can see they have all the faves at the moment including Baby Shark, Bluey, and even Frozen 2 showbags.

There were a couple of showbags that I was surprised to see on the list, as I didn’t consider them topical. Maybe it’s the phenomena on TikTok where old things become trendy again with just one viral video or maybe I’m completely out of touch with what the kids are into these days. This included the Dragon Ball Z showbag, the P!nk showbag (no hate to her I love her she just hasn’t released an album in the last 3 years), and the K-zone Magazine showbag.

Now for the showbags that I purchased for myself. I bought the Fruchocs showbag ($18), which you can read about below:

In my opinion buying a choc related showbag is just a must. Normally I would have gone with a Bertie Beetle showbag, but the 2 for 1 Wallis ticket was a real draw card for me. I love the movies!!

I also decided to purchase the Stella Athletic Autumn ($32) . I was looking at a couple of the magazine showbags like Marie Claire and the Womans health magazine showbag but I felt the one I went with had more things that I was more likely to use. The showbag included:

I was interested to find most of the showbags targeting women didn’t really have anything super exciting. It kind of felt like they struggled to find sponsors so they went with super generic products like Red Bull and sanitiser (although I’m not complaining after the last couple years we’ve had – sanitiser is always welcome). 

Another thing that surprised me was even on the first day of the show, there were already products within the showbag that were unavailable. Having always gone later in the week I always assumed its because they were super popular and run out but there is no way that is the case here. The one product that wasn’t in the bag I bought but was advertised was the Stella Athletic Stainless Steel Water Bottle, so I was given the Exercise Resistance Bands instead.

The showbags I think are worth staying away from and not wasting your money with would have to be: the Chatime Bubble Tea showbag. This is because it only comes with 3 packets of bubble tea kits and a straw. I feel like I could buy the bubble tea kits for way cheaper in a supermarket and it doesn’t seem all worth it for the reusable straw. The other showbag I would stay away from is the Miffy Showbag. I don’t remember seeing this in person, but just looking at the listing online its seems like there isn’t really a big ticket item to justify spending $30 on it. Unless the backpack that’s included is top notch quality or the drink bottle isn’t plastic, it seems like only small stationery type things are included.

Most people may think that showbags are mostly for kids, and sure there a many that are targeted towards kids, but there are heaps that cater to both men and women. Many adults I spoke to were surprised by my desire to buy a showbag as they thought they were a waste of money and would much rather buy something else of value from the pavilion or Taste SA tent. I agree to some extent. Showbags are mostly filled with things that you don’t need, but are often filled with things that you would not have bought unless at the show. If a showbag (non food related) catches your eye and you’re umming and ahhing about it, I suggest that if the major items are all a go ( ie, the tote bag, hat, and top) and you look at the rest of the items and go “hmm nothing jumps out but I wouldn’t throw it all immediately in the bin” then buy the showbag and try out some products (that may become your new fave).

My last advice for showbag shopping is ALWAYS BUY THEM JUST BEFORE YOU WANT TO LEAVE. This means you aren’t lugging them around for the whole day!

I hope this has been helpful advice.

This review was written by Lauren Francis. Lauren is an announcer on the Takeover and part of Life FM’s promotions team.