Wishing for a Labubu this Christmas? Good luck. Unless someone loves you enough to buy one at a stupidly high markup, those grinning little monsters are not easy to come by.
But there’s a good chance you’ll still find a similar kind of pocket-sized surprise waiting in your stocking.
Thanks to the Labubu craze, blind boxes — sealed packages containing an undisclosed item, usually collectible figurines — are expected to dominate toy sales this holiday season as brands race to meet consumer demand, per Forbes.
Businesses of all sorts…
… from major retailers like Walmart and Target to snack brands like Pringles, are capitalizing on the trend with surprises of their own.
- Miniso, a Chinese retailer known for its blind box collabs with brands like Peanuts, Disney, and Sanrio, has been expanding its mystery offerings with regular limited-edition drops.
- Toymakers Hasbro and Mattel have gotten in on the hype, wrapping up IP like Furby and Barbie in opaque packaging.
- Hong Kong Disneyland recently launched a collection of blind boxes featuring figurines of the park’s rides, priced at ~$13 each.
- This week, Buffalo Wild Wings released $20, limited-edition blind box toys of its mascot Hank for loyalty members.
- For the fashion-forward, streetwear brand Kith is selling $10 mystery collectibles by designer toy brand MediCom BE@RBRICK.
The joy of cheap thrills
Blind boxes are popular among kids and “kidults” alike for a few reasons:
- They’re relatively cheap, with many priced at under $15, making them affordable gifts (for oneself or for others) at a time when toy prices are on the rise.
- Consumers love the excitement of opening them, which often compels them to keep buying more until they get the specific item they want or until they’ve collected a whole series, hence why brands love them.
But that addictiveness can be risky, and for blind box fiends with adult money, gambling $15 a pop can quickly turn into hundreds of dollars worth of buyer’s remorse.
Still, for some, the temporary thrill and small joy of unboxing a cute little charm can be worth the cost — especially, one millennial told Reuters, in tough times like these.
“It's a nice little dopamine boost and who doesn't need that now?"
Anyway, while you decide whether to gift one this Christmas, we’ll leave you with this final thought: Isn’t every wrapped present a blind box of sorts?
