Whilst social media has made a mass amount of things popular, from music, trends, and influencers, one unexpected rise is the popularity of blind boxes, specifically from the store “Pop Mart”.
Blind boxes, a box with a mystery toy inside containing a character created by an artist turned into a figure, started in the early 2000’s, but has recently become extremely mainstream due to people posting themselves opening them on social media. The use of social media has dominated the influx of people camping out to catch the next release of a new collection. Full collections usually release 6 months at a time and individual series come out much more frequently: the most popular collections being “Labubu” and “Skull Panda”.
Influencers post their hauls of different blind boxes, pointing at the one they want, and if they do get that one, they’re overjoyed about it. Their level of serotonin radiates through the screen and hits you with that same level of dopamine. These blind boxes usually have a base price of $17 and the contents of the blind boxes can increase the value of them: the most expensive being $2,250 from the “Mega Space Molly” series.
Junior Michelle L., who has over 15 different figurines from Pop Mart totaling over $500 spent, explains her collecting hobby, saying, “I love the thrill of buying blind boxes and opening them because I get excited when I guess which one I’ll get. It’s even better if I get one I like.”
Other Galileo students are a bit more selective in which collections they want to purchase. Junior Isabell C. who has 2 full series of characters totaling $400 states, “I like collecting the characters because they’re cute. I specifically have the ‘Tell Me What You Want’ series and the ‘Warmth’ series.” Senior Athena Y. who enjoys casual Popmart shopping added, “I specifically like the “Kubo” series because I like collecting them and because he looks goofy.”
Overall, while blind boxes aren’t a new concept, having a dedicated store for them in major malls around the United States is a new thing. Their open store layout allows for consumers to be intrigued as to what the store has to offer. While the current rotation of the most popular blind box characters may dissipate away, it allows for more room for other brands to emerge. However, Pop Mart won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
