Parents have slammed a £50 advent calendar created by beauty vlogger and teen favourite Zoella as “tat” and “massively overpriced”.
The YouTube sensation, who has millions of teenage fans, has put her name to a “12 Day of Christmas Advent Calendar” to almost universally poor reviews, including many from those who have bought it for their children.
The calendar contains a bauble, a small packet of confetti, a star-shaped cookie cutter, a packet of seven stickers, a small bag, a 130g “Festive Cookie” candle, a 30ml “Christmas Clementine” room spray, a pen, a fluffy key ring, a gingerbread man-shaped cookie cutter, a mini notepad and a 130g “Cozy Christmas” candle.
Various reviewers have claimed the entire contents can be bought for around £20.
The calendar is being sold at Boots and has so far received an overall rating of one and a half stars.
One review read: “Definitely not worth the money and very disappointing items within”, while another said: “Parents do NOT buy!! This calendar is worth £20 MAXIMUM. I am a huge fan of Zoella, however she has made a HUGE mistake with this.”
Continuing the negative reception, one added: “I’ve followed Zoella for a long time but I’m honestly shocked that she allowed her name to be attached to this pile of tat. £50?!?! For literal tat. You’re losing it girl!”
Another wrote: “Brought this for my daughter and she was very unhappy! Massively overpriced for what you get, should definitely be cheaper considering your fan base is in the 8 to 13 years old category.”
However, some reviews were more positive, with one buyer writing: “I bought this and I am so glad I did. Everyone on here is saying it is overpriced, but let’s face it, company’s (sic) have to make money!”
The festive product is the latest from entrepreneur Zoella, whose real name is Zoe Sugg.
Miss Sugg launched a fashion and beauty vlog in 2009 and now has more than 11 million subscribers, while her book Girl Online became the fastest selling debut novel ever when it was released in 2014.
A spokeswoman for Zoella Lifestyle said: “Zoe is incredibly proud of the Christmas collection and excited to see it in store.
“However, the pricing and in-store promotional strategy of the collection, including the calendar, is at the control of third parties and is not set by Zoe.”