From Sonny Angels to Labubus

The love of blind boxes may be fluctuating, but they are here to stay.

By Chanel Thorpe

Graphic by Josie Zevin

If you’re anything like me, you may give into the urge to buy a blind box now and then. Maybe it’s the rush, or maybe it's the desire to collect cute figurines. Still, whatever it is, many people have been hooked on blind boxes ever since Sonny Angels gained popularity. And sure, there were other figurines that people spent their money on, like Skullpandas, Monchhichi and Sanrio blind boxes. But Sonny Angels had the throne, and no one was taking their place. 

That was until people started collectively deciding that the baby cherubs were inappropriate. And on top of being deemed “inappropriate,” those who owned a Sonny Angel were now seen as weird because they were collecting “naked babies.” Which, when you say it out loud, does sound valid. Personally, I sold all of my Sonny Angels on Depop (highly recommend, the girls will buy them for a higher price), and I don’t regret it. And so, Sonny Angels were dethroned, and it took some time to find their replacement. That’s where the Labubus came in. 

The rise of Labubus was slightly before the whole “Dubai Chocolate” trend, but somehow they were joined together (along with matcha), and its popularity surged once the two different concepts converged to form one trending concept of “Dubai Chocolate Labubu Matcha” — the height of brainrot if you will. Labubus became the most popular blind box for a while, but currently, they seem to be pretty irrelevant with the amount of fake Labubus you see on TikTok Shop. But now? There don’t seem to be any other blind boxes in sight to take the throne. 

So, what is it with the blind boxes? What is it about them that is so addictive? Besides what I mentioned earlier with the gambling-esque feeling that you get from purchasing one (taking the chance to get a figurine that you love), my theory is that there is a need to have some aspect of whimsy in our lives. Trinkets like blind boxes, keychains and pins make people not only seem more interesting and have more to talk about, but also make them appear “whimsical.” 

Teri Booth, in her article, “The Scenic Route to Joy: How to Create More Whimsy in Your Life,” talks about the need to add whimsy back into your life in such a fast-paced world. I’d also add that people want to add whimsy back into their lives in small ways because of the big horrors of what's going on globally as a way to find little joys — a sentiment I can agree with. 

The small rush of dopamine is addicting; it’s what makes me say “today was a good day” even if I’m hearing about horrible things happening. Treating something so small as a means to get happier while things larger than me are occurring is one way to take back some control over my stress levels. And a tiny box does that beautifully.