You may not know what Labubus is, but Lucia, 13, sees them everywhere on social media.
“I have two,” she says.
“They use a lot of influencers and they are always branded, and they are always promoted online.”
Labubus is eleven -lovely plush toys that double as a large key ring and are often seen on bags.
They originated in Hong Kong, as a character from a series of picture books entitled The Monsters.
To say that Labubus is a lot of demand for an understatement – online, the product can be sold out within minutes.
So when Lucia managed to get one in his hands, she was initially pretty happy with it.
Lucia, depicted with Kodee, says Labubus a lot on social media. ((BTN High: Michelle Wakim))
“I finally jumped on the trend that was everywhere on social media,” she says.
“I feel that I was a bit disappointed because I didn’t get the one I wanted, but as I feel that it is a bit on me because it is as a small mystery.”
Labubus is only one character in the multi-billion dollar blind-box industry, which decreases much of its popularity in happiness and coincidence.
The industry is growing rapidly.
Pop Mart, the Chinese retailer who sells Labubus and specializes in blind boxes, has a market capitalization value of $ 51 billion and grew by 340 percent in 2024 alone.
Blind boxes’ ‘big moment’
Blind boxes, also known as mystery boxes, are sealed packages that contain one randomly chosen and distributed product from a larger series.
They are usually toys, trinkets, stationery, jewelry or even electronic devices.
“In principle, they are low deployment and items with low value,” says Renata Yannoulis, an advertising strategy director at Agency TBWA Australia.
“People think they are [blind boxes] Very new, but they are certainly not; They just have a very big moment in pop culture.“
Renata Yannoulis says that blind boxes have been around for a long time. ((Delivered))
The earliest version of a blind box dates from the beginning of the 20th century with a Japanese tradition called Fukubukuro, where retailers would sell products in unmarked bags at a discount price.
The toy -oriented version emerged in the sixties with Gachapon, a vending machine that issues toys in plastic capsules.
The promise of any, collected toys as a strategy to sell products is also used in other parts of the world – prices for grain boxes in the early 1900s, friendly surprises and happy meals.
Gumball machines are an older style of blind box. ((Adobe Stock: Presidentk52))
An ‘addictive’ element
Although these collective objects may seem cute or harmless, the blind-box model of coincidence and the tension that is accompanied by happiness and randomness, coupled with gambling behavior.
“You may be in a POP Mart store and you are gambling in that box that you take from that board that has the exact labubu that you are looking for,” says Yannoulis.
“You might come to the counter and think:” I want to cover my bet. I want to increase my chance, because maybe I am not lucky as I think. So maybe I buy two boxes and doubles my chances of getting this mystery box well and getting the exact that I want. ”
Indyana and Hannah, who are both 18, agree.
Hannah (right), depicted with Indyana, says that you don’t know what you’re going to get, can be addictive. ((BTN High: Michelle Wakim))
“It’s a bit addictive, and if you don’t get what you want, you might never get it,” says Hannah.
Mia, 18, says it is easy to be swept up in buying the products in bulk to increase the opportunities to find the desired collection object.
“I feel that after you are like that:” Oh, I spent a lot of money. I probably shouldn’t have done that, “she says.
The scarcity of some blind boxes – especially Labubus – is seen as an important role in their popularity and competition about buying one of these products.
Although part of this is the basic question and offer, the marketing tactics of “manufactured scarcity” also play in the game.
“Manufactured scarcity is designed to have people repeat purchasing when pursuing a certain very niche item that they do not yet have that many people want,” says Yannoulis.
“It indicates that you may spend money, time or effort to get this thing that everyone wants.
“These brands and companies produce that scarcity by laying a limit on the number of distribution points that you can get these products.”
In the Japanese tradition, Fukubukuro “Mystery” products are sold in bags. ((Delivered))
Mia and Ella, 17, say that the sensation and excitement of blind boxes comes from this scarcity and how difficult they are to find.
“You see it [blind boxes] All on Tiktok and you are something like: ‘Where did you get it? Where did you get it? “Says Mia.
“[It’s] The Fomo of missing them don’t have, “says Ella.
In 2022, Shanghai introduced strict guidelines in response to the potential damage of blind boxes as a barrel in gambling.
The guidelines came in the form of age limits, covered prices and limiting scarcity.
Ella and Mia say that there is a sensation in having something that is hard to find. ((Btn high))
Second -hand satisfaction
The viral trend of “Unboxing” – Recording videos in the field of recording and sharing a product that is being opened for the first time – also feeds the demand for collective objects.
“You actually get second -hand immediate satisfaction from watching people who get their own toys,” says Yannoulis.
“It nourishes this desire for us as if we get a little taste of it, and we actually want to experience the full version of what we have just seen with removing this toy themselves.“
Mia and Ella see these videos sharing as a way to make contact with the wider Blind-Box community.
‘We have all these videos of us that they do [unboxing]”Says Ella.
“And you’re so much,” oh my god “and then you put it in your Instagram and … you are like:” guys, look! “Says Mia.
For Hannah, the joy associated with unboxing is linked to nostalgia.
“It’s just something you do as a small child,” she says.
“You get enthusiastic when you find something you really want and you can box it and, I don’t know, it’s just an adrenaline, a bit of an adrenaline soot. You are like,” Yay! “
Unboxing can be nostalgic. ((Adobe Stock: Tada Images))
However, Unboxing is good for sustainability, because layers of packaging are used to hide the collective objects that are often made of plastic.
“It is scary to think about the volume product that will eventually end in the landfill because of this trend when it finally comes out, let alone the packaging itself,” says Yannoulis.
Mrs. Yannoulis says at his best, collecting objects can offer moments of joy, but moderation must always be in mind.
“They offer comfort, a small feeling of safety, a little wonder, a little joy … but it will never offer that long -term fulfillment or that meaningful positivity in your life,” she says.
“So, for people to be obsessed and put such a high value on it, it can become a bit dangerous.
“If you have one labubu, it’s probably enough.”
“I think I just remember toys at the end of the day and just don’t buy a hundred hundred,” says Ella.
“It’s fun for everyone. It’s fun to share!” Mia says.
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