The toy store is the world’s latest and most inclusive casino. Instead of slot machines and blackjack, you can gamble your savings away on Labubus and dumpling squishies. There is no age restriction, no judgments and minimal risk. How did blind boxes become the internet’s favorite purchase? What triggers our desire to buy so many? Let us unbox this together, shall we?

Whether you have bought into the craze or just seen them on your feed, there is no doubt you have heard of Labubus. Pop Mart’s viral wide-eyed fuzzy plush dolls with a wide grin spread through the internet like wildfire in 2024 after K-pop star Lisa shared pictures of her Labubu keychains. Soon, the Labubu doll was seen on the designer bags of multiple celebrities, from Rihanna to Kim Kardashian. Labubu is a fictional character created by Pop Mart’s Kasing Lung in 2015 as part of the toy line “The Monsters”; the Labubu characters are inspired by Nordic mythology and encapsulate both good and evil. The Pop Mart website describes Labubu as being “kind-hearted and always wants to help, but often accidentally achieves the opposite”.

Part of what makes Labubu so exciting to collect is the thrill of the chase. Not only are buyers fighting for a spot in line, they are also fighting to purchase as many Labubu blind boxes as possible to ensure they get the color they want, or the super rare “secret” Labubus. The urge to buy multiple Labubu blind boxes stems from the desire to be included in the global craze, sort of a “Fear of Missing Out”, and more importantly, to have the chance to unbox the exclusive secret Labubus. One social media creator went as far as to make numerous videos dedicated to her [“24 karat gold Labubu”] (https://www.tiktok.com/@lilzbullzmarbella2/video/7516255426451623190?lang=en), with her videos parodied by multiple other creators. Exclusivity sells faster than anything else.

Another popular blind box toy is Sonny Angel, who is described by the Sonny Angel site as “a little angel boy who likes wearing all sorts of headgear; He is always by your side to make you smile”. Sonny Angels are typically nude cherubic figurines wearing assorted headgear, but they may also come with an adhesive belly so you can stick them onto surfaces in your home. Although they became most popular around late 2023, Sonny Angels have been around since Toru Soeya of Dreams Inc. designed them in 2004 with the intention of giving joy to stressed young Japanese women, calling them “pocket boyfriends”. As with Labubus, the Sonny Angels trend saw plenty of celebrities join in on the hype. American comedy show Saturday Night Live even featured Sonny Angels in a skit to poke fun at the extensive shelves lined with Sonny Angels that dominated social media feeds and to parody the idea that Sonny Angels are “pocket boyfriends”.

More recently, blind box fanatics have been interested in dumpling squishies made by the company Squishy Bun. As with the other blind boxes I discussed, these squishies come in assorted colors with the glittery squishy being the “rare” or “special” squishy. Unlike Labubus which range from $20 to $300, or more if you buy from resellers, the [dumpling squishies are under $5, and such are typically purchased from the store Five Below in the United States][https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTOsl3gjdg8/?hl=en). On social media, creators can be seen purchasing multiple of these dumpling squishies with the intention of finding the rare ones and completing their collections.

Yet the blind box craze does not live only within the realms of the toy industry. Recently, the American fast food company Chick-fil-a released a blind box line of plastic collectors cups. If you manage to unbox the golden cup, you will get around 52 free Chick-fil-a meals for a year. Unlike the other blind boxes, the prize is not a rare item, it is a reward from the company itself. Additionally, the other cup designs you could receive beside the gold one are all the same. Essentially, you could purchase as many blind boxes you want and still receive copies of the same cup. Interestingly, a creator who posted his unboxing of the Chick-fil-a cups also made a comment saying “it’s like gambling for food fanatics!”.

So what is going on? The truth is that the world is conditioned to expect quick dopamine. Social media causes the release of dopamine by presenting us with new and shiny things constantly, which triggers the brain’s search and explore functions. The blind box craze is a form of soft gambling, which plays on the same dopamine reward system but makes the stakes less intense. Unlike in casinos, if you do not get the prize you want, you still get a Labubu in the end and thus it feels safe to buy more. The currency you gamble with in blind boxes is not necessarily money, it is emotion. Blind boxes are generally more popular among women, a clear example being Sonny Angel’s target audience. Why are Sonny Angels taking over people’s desks and shelves? Perhaps buyers are trying to test if these figurines will live up to their promise—the Sonny Angel slogan “he may bring you happiness”. People chase the exclusivity that comes with owning a secret Labubu and the dopamine rush that comes with finding the glittery dumpling.

Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with splurging on a Labubu or getting a Sonny Angel for your phone case, but the danger comes with the overconsumption of these products. Buying copious amounts of blind boxes not only fuels a developing soft gambling addiction, but so many trendy products end up in landfills after they have had their fifteen minutes of fame. So next time a company makes another blind box toy, as they inevitably will, instead of following everyone who is convinced they must “run, don’t walk” to the store, maybe just stroll with caution.