Over the past few weeks, I have found myself on the blind box side of TikTok, where creators buy colorful boxes and film unboxing videos. If you were to ask me what makes it appealing, I probably wouldn’t have an answer for you. Yet, when they pull the little cardboard tab or when they pop the tube-like box open, it makes me feel so satisfied. When they tap the box with their nails or whisper which animal they want, it makes me relaxed.

Two of my favorite boxes to see opened are Smiskis and Sonny Angels; they have the same pop boxes, and the little figurines inside are so funny to me. Smiskis, unlike Sonny Angels (which are babies with fruits or animals, etc, as their heads, and often otherwise nude) are glow-in-the-dark figurines with round heads that are posing according to the pack you choose, either workout, dress up, or even the toilet series. Both brands are under the same parent company, a Japanese brand called Dreams Inc.

Their recent increased popularity has been driven by various social media platforms. Although the brand Sonny Angel has been around since 2004, and Smiski since 2015. Yet what causes the craze over Sonny Angels and Smiskis? Many people might claim it’s like gambling, with a random chance at getting one out of the many options per package. Then in both Sonny Angels and Smiskis there are secrets, a figure that in Sonny Angels each person has a 1 in 144 in getting per box. Therefore it’s the dopamine rush that people get when they open the $15 box that keeps people going back to buy more. This also helps with the Tik-Tok craze, with the quick clips of the openings it keeps up with the population’s attention span, which is getting much shorter.

Since Covid hit in 2020 sales of both these brands have skyrocketed, many stores selling out almost instantly. The chance of you finding a store that allows you to buy more than one blind box, if they even have one, is slim to none. Now they are being resold for three times the price online on websites like E-bay or even Poshmark. Or you can attend a trading event, which are held around the country by businesses or small groups where you can bring your collection of these figurines and trade one for another if you might want more. I have yet to understand if this is just a trend that will die off in a year, or if it will be an ongoing trend that will continue to boom. But I’ll enjoy it while it lasts!