Updated Below the fold with details from the April 1st, 2015 Mystery Box update.
The Mystery Box is a premium item that you can purchase for 6 donuts or you can get it for free every 5 days, as a bonus for playing the game every day. The Mystery Box could contain a premium item or it could contain a non-premium item, which one it reveals to you truly is a Mystery.
The Mystery Box is typically one of those premium items I would tell you not to purchase and save your donuts, unless of course you’re desperate for a Lemon Tree (the Mystery Box is the only way to get one), because you can earn one every 5 days and there’s no guarantee of a premium item. However, for those of you purchasing the Mystery Box, or just curious about what might be inside of yours every 5 days there are a few things you should know.
With the Mystery Box there’s a game going on behind the scenes, (pretty much like all games of chance) every time you either buy a Mystery Box for 6 donuts or collect one as a daily reward. The game internally generates a random number and each item available through the Mystery Box has a number assigned to it. The prize you win is the item that has the first number that’s greater than the random number generated.
So what are the prizes you can win in a Mystery Box and the Odds of winning them? Here’s a complete breakdown of your chances:
| Prize | Odds |
| Mystery Box | 10.98% |
| Lemon Tree/$250 | 10% |
| Parking Lot | 10% |
| Brown Fence | 10% |
| Tree | 10% |
| Large Hedge | 10% |
| Newspaper Dispenser | 10% |
| Picket Fence | 4% |
| Gazebo | 4% |
| Angel Topiary | 4% |
| $500 | 4% |
| Premium Bench | 4% |
| $1,000 | 4% |
| 10 Donuts | 2% |
| Squeaky Voice Teen/30 Donuts | 2% |
| Homer Buddha | 1% |
| $2,500 | 0.01% |
| 30 Donuts | 0.004% |
| Tire Fire/40 Donuts | 0.002% |
| Lard Lad | 0.001% |
Of course it’s all a matter of luck –and I did win my Squeaky Voice Teen via the Free 5 Day Mystery Box when I first started playing.
What’s the best thing the Mystery Box ever awarded you?
Update: On April 1st, 2015 EA rolled out a new Mystery Box. Basically the same concept, just with a new look and some new items added. Here’s a look at what happened with that:
There was a new look to the box icon. It now looks like this:
Same concept, however. Spent 6 donuts…or wait once a week for your Daily Play Bonus and get one for free..and open a Mystery Box for a chance to win some cool Premium items, and some freemium duds.
There is an end date indicated in the files of April 30th, 2015. However, it’s not indicated if this is the end date for the new box or just the end date for the free box awarded with the initial questline. (You should be awarded a free box between April 1st and April 30th, 2015, after a some dialogue between Mr. Burns and Smithers. You can view more about that on this post) Once April 30th hits, and we know for sure what will happen…we will update this post with the details. Update: It appears that my initial prediction was correct and April 30th just marked the end of the free Mystery Box initial questline. So the new Mystery Box contents are here to stay!
Here’s a look at what’s inside the new box:
| Item | Unique? | Value |
| Khlav Kalash Stand | No | $760 |
| Minnow Pond | No | $4,500 |
| Bomb Shelter | No | $5,600 |
| Chalmer’s 1979 _ONDA | No | $9,800 |
| 10 Donuts | No | 10 Donuts |
| 30 Donuts | No | 30 Donuts |
| Squeaky Voiced Teen | Yes | 30 Donuts |
| Channel 6 News Van | No | 40 Donuts |
| Itchy & Scratchy Billboard | No | 40 Donuts |
| Tire Fire | Yes | 40 Donuts |
| Kearney | Yes | 60 Donuts |
| Blue Haired Lawyer | Yes | 90 Donuts |
| Lard Lad Donuts | No | 110 Donuts |
| Lemon Tree | Yes | n/a only way to get is the box |
Note: We’ve decided against posting the odds for the revised boxes..and here’s why. First, there’s a ton of conflicting information out there about it. Some are saying one set of odds, some are saying another. There’s one version that we follow from the files…HOWEVER. It’s more complicated than saying you just get this ____ % of the time. There’s a script it follows, that basically says if you don’t get ____ than you have ____ % chance of getting ____. And moves down the line like that. So because it’s conflicting and confusing information. We’ve decided not to post the odds. Just enjoy the free boxes that you get & don’t worry about what the odds say you’ll get.
Hope that helps you get a better understanding of the Mystery Box!
Can someone tell me where to find the revised mystery box for 6 doughnuts.. It’s not displayed anywhere in the store for me 🙁
Open up your store, expand it so you see all the icons. Tap on Homer Buddha. It should be the very first item listed in that category (the far left). If you still don’t see it contact EA.
I may or may not have purchased the mystery box 15 times today because I have absolutely no self control when I get iTunes gift cards. However, from it I have won 120 doughnuts, tire fire, 4 chalmer’s _ondas, 3 lard lads, and two news vans! I turned off my game feeling pretty good until I looked at my reflection in my phone and wondered, “What am I doing with my life”?
I did the same thing so far I got 1 lard lad, Blue haired laywer, itchy and scratchy build bord, channel 6 news van
First time I got the Squeaky Voice Teen , after that I won Channel 6 News Van, Blue Haired Lawyer, Kearney and at last Bomb Shelter. I can not believe I got it all. I ‘m very very very very very very very very happy about it. I would like to get Tire Fire or Lard Lad Donuts. Love you all :* :* 😀
I received 30 donuts from a revised mystery box! I’m saving up for
(actual name unknown) French Waiter.
I’ll probably get 20 donuts from an upcoming event (Mother’s Day?).
First time I got the Fire Tire, after 5 days I won Squeaky Voice Teen. I was really lucky
So far I’ve received the Channel 6 News Van and Squeaky Voiced Teen from the new mystery box, just from the five day play combo!
I just got the Tire Fire, which is awesome!
I thought I would try my luck and I got lard lad – very stoked so tried my luck again and got 10 donuts, so you can guess I kept trying. Next got the tire fire, another 10 donuts, minow pond and blue haired lawyer. That’s it I don’t really need any more fences or hedges so I think I’ve finished trying my luck. I don’t have Kearney, so maybe just one more – no….must resist. 😇
Just jumped on to say I won a blue-haired lawyer from the new mystery boxes.
In the last two days I’ve gotten Kearney, BH lawyer, tire fire, lard lad, and the itchy and scratchy billboard. I’m loving the new mystery box. Used to think it was a big waste of donuts, now I’m addicted. Glaven!
just now got the blue haired lawyer for 6 donuts mystery box. before I’ve also gotten moleman from homer buddha, and in the last 6 months, i’ve won the dog betting at 99-1 about 10 times till now. i love how the game is VERY generous with prizes.
Update. I’ve gotten now 30 donuts. Lard lad. Tire fire from mystery boxes
You received Lard Lad Donuts?
Luck-y!
Mr. Auto-Correct, here it is: http://prntscr.com/6x5ay6
yes it was very surprising.
I got squeecky voiced teen quiet early on in my game, the 5th day gift. But the funniest thing I got also the 5th day mystery box which gave me a mystery box that gave me a third mystery box and a forth box and that gave me a buddha homer eventually I got a flower planter. But the box in box and so on gave me the giggles.
boxception always cracks me up when it happens. 😉
Some different items for the mystery box would be great. How many newspaper dispensers does one town need anyway?
LOTS!! Lol.
http://tstoaddicts.com/2013/09/08/my-addiction-has-cost-me-everything/
Thats an amazing Sideshow Bob, Bunny! How many newsboxes did that take? Guess I will hang in to those useless decorations after all.
Id still like some other mystery box prizes tho.
http://tstoaddicts.com/2013/09/15/winner-winner-hey-wheres-my-chicken-dinner/
You can see more of what to do with random decorations on our 2D/3D page. 😉
http://tstoaddicts.com/tapped-out-2d3d-designs/
First thing I got was a lemon tree and I thought that was bad until I saved 6 donuts and thought “why not, it’s just a game anyway” so I bought the mystery box and got…. A f*cking newspaper dispenser valued at what? $275? For 6 donuts 🙁
Ugh… that stinks. I’d strongly advise against buying those.
The best thing (read: favorite) I’ve gotten so far is the Lemon Tree. The times I’ve gotten additional Mystery boxes all ended with me getting cash. I was reading somewhere that there’s a theory that your prize chances improve exponentially if you have over $100k saved in the game. I’m currently testing this theory, so far I haven’t noticed anything ther than getting more Mystery boxes in my mystery box.
It’s all luck. I’ve gotten quite a few things. Also a bunch of mystery boxes and parking lots lol.
I’ve been playing every day for almost three months and I feel like I’m getting everything BUT the lemon tree. I’m just trying to get a Lemon Tree! 🙁
Keep trying…I think it took me bout 4 or 5 months in one game.
First time i got a free one after 5 days I won a Homer Buddha which gave me Hanz Moleman. Made me feel better after I spent 12 donuts on 2 boxes at the beginning. A freemium rookie mistake but I think it equaled out in my favour there!
last week I received 10 donuts {thought I was going mad} then yesterday I got 30 donuts!!!! {thought EA was going mad}…thankyou thankyou thankyou …. thought it was a gift for being the most addicted player! lol
I won a Homer Buddha which subsequently gave me 150 donuts! Not sure why that amount; it could be that I already own all the other premiums.
You must have hit the top prize but since you already had it, you got the donut equivalent. Congrats.
I read that someone got a Hans Moleman from the Mystery Box. Has this happened to anyone out there?
Yes, quite a few people 🙂
squeaky voice teen
Nice!
I’ve had 5 boxes, 1 lemon tree, 1 homer Buddha, 2 mystery boxes and a parking lot. The Buddha gave me picket fences, the boxes got me a tree and a newspaper dispenser. Not great luck
Once I got a Homer Buddha. This lead me to another Mystery box. And then a tree.
In another try, I got a premium bench, but a regular one was added to my inventory.
So I think the best prize I got was the 1.000$ one.
I have been playing for nearly 1.5 years now, and the only items I have gotten from the boxes are the Lemon Tree (within the first month of playing) and I received 10 donuts once (within the first 3 months of playing). It has been over a year now and I haven’t received another donut or anything better than a 4% chance. This is very frustrating watching friends and family get different items fairly often from the boxes!
The mystery box is all luck… think just like Easter boxes. I’ve gotten like 4 good things from it and I’ve been playing since Oct 2012. Some folks just have more luck… one of the reasons a lot of us call it the “Misery Box” lol.
Thanks! It gets frustrating. Didn’t get a few things from the Easter event and even from Christmas I just wish I had more luck!
Won 30 donuts today! 2nd time in the last 5 weeks – woo hoo!!
Sweet! 😉
Got awarded 30 donuts the other day! Woohoo!
Awesome! Those are the best Mystery Boxes! 🙂
Have the items and/or odds changed on the mystery boxes? Twice in the past 2 months, my friend has won 300 donuts (each time)! That’s not even listed above. Has this happened to anyone else?
I do apologize. This post is an older one. The odds do vary and change as EA keeps growing with this game. Give us a lil time to get this up to date as we are currently focused on all things Christmas. 🙂
The worst part is keep getting trees and garbage bins…. Maybe my town is too messy
I have to say that the best I ever get is homer Buddha and that leads to another mystery box and then I got 10 donuts!!!
*sigh* the best thing a Mystery Box ever gave me was 10 donuts, and not from the game tutorial. It’s been two months of daily tapping since I started playing (only missed once because I was on vacation), but still no Squeaky Voice Teen, no Lemon Tree, just plenty of Picket Fences from the Mystery Box.
keep waiting…hopefully good will come. I was two months into the game before my SVT appeared.
Once in a Mystery Box I won a Homer Buddha, the Homer Buddha gave me a Mystery Box and then all I ended up with was a newspaper dispenser! Total letdown! But I have won 10 donuts from the Mystery Box 😀
I got 4 mystery boxes in a row to get a tree. Lol.