Blind boxes, such as Labubus and Sonny Angels, have been the summer craze. These boxes hold collectible figurines, but you don’t know which one you will get until you open it. Teens and young adults enjoy the excitement of opening a trendy and cute item and being surprised by what’s in it.
The cuteness of the figurines, especially Sonny Angels, and the wide variety of options to collect are what makes this activity particularly enjoyable to me. The surprise element is something you don’t get out of many other purchases, making each blind box something fun and unique. If collecting these trinkets also brings joy to other people, I say go for it; it is worth spending some money on them every now and then.
For me, whether it be online or heading to buy them at the mall, a Sonny Angel feels like a fun reward I can treat myself to, with the added bonus of sharing the moment of unboxing it with my family and friends. We all go around and say which ones we want most, then carefully unwrap the package to see what’s inside.
Like most people, I am overjoyed when I get the one I wanted most, but even when I don’t I am still happy with what I get, making the unexpected nature of this hobby one of the aspects that adds the most to my positive experiences. I love to keep and display my figurines, putting them on my purses and devices, but the experience of opening the box is my favorite part.
When watching blind box influencers, I noticed that not only do they pick out figurines that they want, but they select ones they don’t want, and get upset when they get those. I understand that people have preferences, but the mystery is part of the fun.
I think that if you are buying a blind box you should be prepared to get all options, even if it isn’t the one you wanted most. When people have distaste towards certain options, it takes away from the lighthearted and artistic value of the trinkets.
The process of building up the anticipation to open one object to have a meaningful moment helps slow down my daily life and gives me a refreshing second to enjoy something simple yet cute, that does indeed bring me happiness. It is a small but significant ritual I have that encourages me to be grateful for the small things in life.
On the down side, this feeling of anticipation, followed by the surprise of a cute figure, can trigger a cycle of buying more and more to recreate the feeling: the same concept as gambling. You don’t know what to expect and therefore want to keep trying and trying to test the different outcomes.
This dopamine loop is amplified by social media — tons of unboxing videos and posts of people’s own collections creates a community of blind box enthusiasts. It can be a hub of expression, but it also serves as a new form of pressure to continue spending, to complete a set, to get the newest series, or to be a part of the circle.
Though I am a big fan of opening blind boxes, not everybody enjoys this trend. Many say that it is a symbol of mass consumerism and that it is a waste of money to buy such a tiny object that will most likely just end up collecting dust on a shelf. This is especially true of the more expensive types, like Labubus – the cheapest real one I’ve seen was $60 – so it can be harder for people to see value in them.
Continuing with the collective Labubu hate, people often refer to them as “demonic” or “cursed,” as they resemble the Mesopotamian demon, “Pazuzu,” and are therefore seen as a symbol of bad luck. This has caused a debate on whether blind boxes like these are fun collectable items, or if they represent the capitalist society of the modern age.
For example, I have seen Sonny Angel and Littlest Pet Shop influencers who open blind boxes on their account in mass quantities, ranging from hundreds and thousands in total. They do sell their duplicates, but I believe that opening them in such large quantities takes away from the fun. It becomes more of a competition to see how many you can get and trying to complete each set.
When I watch videos like these, they rush through opening each one and do not seem excited about opening them. When they open so many in such a short period of time, it desensitizes them to the process of opening one — it is no longer a lucky find when you open so many.
This is when the consumerism aspect has taken over: when it becomes competitive, and results in the spending of a large sum of money. Blind boxes can be expensive, so if you aren’t finding joy and excitement in each purchase, I do not think it is worth it.
I think that if you appreciate the artistic and aesthetic aspect of the blind box figurine and enjoy the process of opening it unrushed, it is worth your money. It can serve as a de-stressing and rewarding experience that has a low cost. It is fun, nostalgic and a symbol of artistic expression, making it worth the price.
Though this hobby can be taken too far, I do think it is a simple pleasure that is okay to indulge in, so I support the craze. There is joy in a small surprise and, for me, this happiness outweighs the price tag, but only in moderation. It’s not just a figurine – it is a memorable experience that brings people, especially me, joy.
