Review: GUNNAR tokidoki – Cotton Candy Carnival, Donutella, and SANDy

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of GUNNAR glasses. So, one of my favorite parts of this job is being able to try out all of the new, fun lenses that come from the blue light-blocking, gaming glasses company. While they recently had a pretty fine collaboration with tokidoki for Year of the Dragon, I was sent their three new tokidoki collab pairs and I have thoughts.

It’s important to note that I’m not a prescription glasses wearer. I don’t need them for day-to-day life. But, I do wear blue blocking lenses since I sit at my computer and use various screens from the time that I wake up till the moment I’m dead asleep. So, it’s important to have something comfortable for long hauls.

GUNNAR sent me three pairs of their new tokidoki collab: Cotton Candy Carnival, Donutella, and SANDy. Each pair is based on some iconic character or feature of the tokidoki brand. Each pair also has similarities and some vast differences between them. So, this review will be three separate mini-reviews with a final, collab score up top.

What’s in the box?

As always, the three new pairs of GUNNAR glasses come with the tried and true: a themed microfiber cloth, a themed microfiber pouch, and a hardshell glasses case. 

The cloth and pouch are each themed around a specific character or event in their fandom. They’re always cute and have unique art when they go with anything other than the basic black GUNNAR logo.

It’s important to note that each of these three pairs also comes with a hard case, some of which definitely should have been thought through further. I’ll go into more detail for each frame later.

Tech in the Specs (or, Holding a Lens Up to These Glasses)

If you’re familiar with GUNNAR, you already know about their fantastic lens options and all of the technology put into making them great. You’re getting anti-glare, anti-reflective, and all of the other anti-whatevers that come packed in every lens. 

Depending on how oily your hands are, they also work great for smudges, as well as being somewhat hydrophobic. Plus, in any case, anything is better than nothing to keep your eyes from drying out while staring at screens.

This tokidoki collab offers only two lens options: their classic 65 Amber lens coating and the original 35 Clear coating. You can also get the lenses in prescription, which opens up various other options, such as Amber Max and Transitions.

While these are all tried and true from GUNNAR’s back catalog, I was immediately sad that their new Clear Pro option was not available for these in any form, still being reserved for things like their recent (and fantastic) Arbor Collection. 

When given the option, I decided to give the 35 Clear a fair (and for me, a first) shot by getting all three tokidoki frames in that style. I immediately noticed how yellow the Clear was when worn compared to the Clear Pro, which makes a lot of sense as to why GUNNAR was so excited about “True Color” during that particular reveal.

However, I am glad that I went this route as the yellow of Amber may have clashed with the actual cuteness of each of these frames if I wanted something for aesthetics alone.

GUNNAR tokidoki Cotton Candy Carnival

It’s not often that I try out GUNNAR glasses anymore that come with a price tag under $100. While the other two tokidoki frames are both $125, the Cotton Candy Carnival hits only $89. With that in mind, it’s important to know that you’re getting what you pay for in any price tier.

The Cotton Candy Carnival hits some pretty interesting highlights worth mentioning. The aesthetic feels like it came right out of the 1990s. They’re translucent pink (“lilac skies”) with a star on each temple. The tokidoki logo and logo symbol can be found on each arm.

You’re either going to love it (millennials) or hate it (possibly everyone else), with no one in between. 

Going into this knowing this is the “cheaper” option from the collab, you can see a big difference in design from the other pairs of those in a higher price tier in general. You aren’t getting any real wood, metal, carbon fiber, or anything in this price range. But, you can be assured that the polymer frame feels pretty sturdy, nonetheless. 

I need to point out a detail that is always welcome here – flexible spring hinges. All three pairs here have them, but it’s great to see something in the lower pricing have it and GUNNAR gets points for accommodating larger heads.

The case is unique as well. I had a lot of qualms with the last tokidoki collab case in Year of the Dragon. I wanted something unique, but not old-fashioned or super “girly”. While the glasses are very feminine (and that’s okay), the case is a unique and interesting triangular shape, complete with a magnetic enclosure.

By themselves, the glasses fit in the case. But, the ultimate test is to see if they fit while also in their pouch (for added protection) and with the included microfiber cloth. While the magnet attaches, they just don’t fit very easily with all of the accessories, sadly. 

All in all, the Cotton Candy Carnival gives a lot of great features and functionality for a lower cost. For the price range, it’s a solid outing for the collab. 

GUNNAR tokidoki Donutella

Out of this GUNNAR tokidoki collaboration, the Donutella is probably my favorite. This $125 frame is comfortable to wear and has a really cute aesthetic to go along with it.

The Donutella is a strange one because the design almost feels like it originated for another reason outside of this collab. The horn-rimmed frame sports a very crystallized pink agate or geode look. 

They call it “Pink Sprinkles”, but clear and mother-of-pearlesque pink just doesn’t convey that well. To show that it’s definitely meant to be a donut-focus, however, a golden donut can be found on the tip of of one the arms. While still stylish and cute, it hardly feels cohesive to the Donutella appeal.

All in all, the Donutella is probably the most “normal” looking of the three pairs and someone could easily think this came from Lenscrafters’ “higher price” wall. That isn’t really a negative, but it does make it something easier to take to an office without a lot of weird looks.

In either case, the metal and acetate frame means that this pair is sturdy and made similarly to the Year of the Dragon pair from the collab earlier this year. 

Similar to the above Cotton Candy Carnival, the Donutella suffers from a hard case issue when trying to include all of the accessories. When putting the glasses in by itself, the case magnetizes shut easily. But, when also in the protective pouch and with the cloth, the magnet refuses to latch. I’m unsure if this is a new direction for GUNNAR, but none of the prior pairs I’ve reviewed have had this issue.

Simply, the Donutella is comfortable to wear, has a sturdy feeling, and is cute as heck. If you’re looking for a cute new pair of glasses, this is a solid way to go.

GUNNAR tokidoki SANDy

It’s not often I give a bad review for GUNNAR glasses. That’s not out of bias, but out of the fact that they’re generally high quality. Sure, some pairs are better than others. But, they nearly always offer comfort, sturdiness, and attention to detail. The GUNNAR tokidoki SANDy, to put it lightly, is… rough.

I have a rule that I wear the glasses in question when writing a review about them. I did it with the Cotton Candy Carnival and Donutella pairs above. But, you’re about to find out why I couldn’t do that with the SANDy.

From the get-go, I knew something was wrong. Right out of the box, the included hard shell case (the same one that comes with the Donutella) wasn’t closed with the included items in it. In fact, the accessories were outside of the case, in the box, which I’ve never seen before. But, even with the frame alone, the case refuses to close at all.

I thought to myself that maybe the case that was included was wrong. No, it’s got the tokidoki branding and a matching green interior to show that this was entirely on purpose.

Once out of its case, I noticed that the actual arms of the glasses refused to close properly as well. This could be also on purpose due to the thick nature of the entire frame. But, it means that they will never actually fit into the included case without breaking them. The entire frame itself is just too big for the case.

Once looking at them, the cat-eye frames are unique and bound to get you looks from people. Depending on your outlook on life, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. I’m a big fan of weird and cool-looking glasses, such as the Diablo IV collab that GUNNAR had recently (which I also reviewed).

They come in a deep green upper part that becomes more black and brown by the bottom of the frame. The color is called “Green Cactus” and I really like the colors for this particular theme.

But, that tidbit might be where the majority of my praise ends for the tokidoki SANdy. When it comes to glasses, looks are only a small part of the equation. 

How do they feel on your face? Bad. The answer is bad. 

The lenses of the glasses are actually pretty big and you’d think that would work to its advantage when it comes to comfort. But, due to the shape and size, the included nose pads barely even make it to your nose. If you push them up, the pads push into your skin awkwardly and these hefty glasses don’t sit right on any other part of your nose either.

I can’t wear them on my face for more than a few minutes without them trying to give me a headache. I think it just boils down to the weight and the poorly designed angles for the nose pads. 

The good news is that they do offer the same flexible spring hinges that I always love to talk about. So, they fit any size head, which is great. But, they just aren’t fun to wear.

One thing I always look for in glasses is if I can forget that I’m wearing them. I don’t want to be aware of every second they’re on my face. The SANDy pair fails that on all accounts.

Final Verdict

Going into this review, I wanted to judge the glasses both individually and as a full collaboration. Now that we’ve seen the different options, I want to talk a bit about the collab itself.

When considering the first GUNNAR x tokidoki crossover earlier this year, I don’t think this collection really steps up to the plate the same way that the Year of the Dragon did. I know GUNNAR is generally very detail-oriented in licensed products and collaborations (such as the Fallout Vault 33 pair), but this one felt cheap and mandatory by comparison.

Out of the three options, the Donutella is my favorite, without a doubt. It feels like they looked at the Year of the Dragon and tried to recreate that same magic. It mostly worked, but even that wasn’t perfect.

I highly recommend you consider other options over the SANDy frames. They just aren’t good in any marks and they aren’t worth the price, especially when compared to the Donutella. 

Or, if you want a cat-eye style that is actually comfortable, definitely consider the GUNNAR tokidoki Year of the Dragon frames that came out earlier this year. I reviewed them and, even though they’re a tad bit pricier, I loved them.

If you want to check these out yourself, they’re all available on GUNNAR’s website. You can get the Donutella and SANDy for $125, while the Cotton Candy Carnival is only $89.