Showbags to suit all tastes at Royal Melbourne Show

FROM superheroes to lollipops, Batman to Bertie Beetle — there’s a showbag to suit every taste among the 375 on offer at this year’s Royal Melbourne Show.

Students from Mahogany Rise Prinary School were the first to trial the showbags.

THE countdown to the Royal Melbourne Show is on and this year will see a record number of showbags on offer.

The official line up was announced yesterday with a whopping 375 bags to choose from during next month’s annual show.

Read more: Royal Melbourne Show 2017: All the information you’ll need for the upcoming event 

The 2017 Royal Melbourne Show will feature 72 new bags including the Captain Underpants showbag, which proved wildly popular at yesterday’s preview.

Dozens of students from Mahogany Rise Primary School were invited to road test the goodie bags as part of the Ardoch Youth Foundation charity program.

Six-year-old Tarquin went straight for Captain Underpants, saying he was a “massive fan” of the book series.

“I don’t care that I’ve already read all the books, I’ll read them again,” he said.

While Tarquin was admiring his showbag loot which included cockroaches and flies, “boogers” and “doggie doo”, his sister Jacinta chose a more “girl friendly” bag.

The Hello Kitty and BFF- Best Friends Forever were “pretty and also fun”, said eight-year-old Jacinta.

“I chose the BFF bag because I have friends and I can share it with them,” she said.

The BFF showbag includes a pink backpack, necklaces, stickers and lip balm and Jacinta gave it “100 out of 10”.

Other hot picks included a range of superhero showbags including Batman, Spider-Man and The Avengers.

For those with a sweet tooth, the Cadbury Dairy Milk, Chupa Chups and Allens Lollies will now be available in jumbo size.

More than 150 showbags come in under $10, including the loyal favourite - the Bertie Beetle bag at just $2.

And the showbags are not just for the kids. A range of adult-friendly bags featuring gourmet deli treats, make up and even beef jerky are on offer as well.

Consumer Affairs Victoria examined more than 3400 items in this year’s showbags — from sunglasses to cosmetics and novelty hats — to ensure they meet safety and consumer information standards.

Minister for Consumer Affairs Marlene Kairouz confirmed more than 350 bags passed rigorous safety checks and were ready for sale next month.

Now in its 162nd year, the Royal Melbourne Show runs for 11 days from September 23 to October at the Melbourne Showgrounds.

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