I assume that was a US only thing (maybe US/CAN?). I've been playing NMS since it was first around but don't ever remember this - looks like it would have been fun.
I've got mine (in the UK) and really enjoyed the ARG even if I didn't manage to solve much of the crypto stuff. It was a team effort and I hope they do some more, maybe for LNF. I think they hired a third party company to do ARG as it must be a hell of a lot of work to create and manage.
I was one of the lucky people who also got food for Mr. Noodles (later re-identified as Ms. Noodles), as well as a classic scifi book, Nine Tomorrows by Asimov
Prized possessions. Having old rabbit foot as a prized possession feels kinda weird, but sometimes your destiny is handed to you, you are not always given a choice.