Throughout the 2010s, Blind Bags, toys like Shopkins, Calico Critters, and even LOL dolls were popular in the children’s toy industry. A blind bag or blind box is a container that can be purchased with a random toy in it. It’s supposed to add an element of excitement and surprise to the toy purchasing experience. Recently, a new wave of blind bags has surged. Lines of Sonny angels, Labubus, Mafusands, and Smiskis have taken the collecting community by storm.
Mafusand
Mafusand are tiny collectible cat figures that debuted in 2017 and originated from Japan. Each figure represents a different breed of cat wearing an animal onesie. The most notable is the shark.
“I only have shark one at the moment, but I have so many on my wishlist to buy,” said sophomore Ava Phan.
There are many other Mafusands. The usual blind box includes the options of: Shark Meow, Orcha Meow, Saw Shark Meow, Spotted Garden Eel Meow, Flapjack Octopus Meow, and Squid Meow. All types of these cats can come as a regular or a “hipper.” A type of figure that comes with a flat sticky edge to be placed on surfaces or even phone cases.
The regular mafusands go for around $11, and the hippers around $13, and are very rare to find in stores.
“I usually get them online or in gift shops whenever I travel,” said Phan. “The biggest trick is just saving your money just in case you come across one in stores.”
Smiskis are tiny green glow-in-the-dark collectables that can be used as decoration or to hold things like Matcha whisks or even toothbrushes. These little creatures have an assortment of poses and activities.
“The styles of the smiskis and cute poses are what dragged me to love them,” said junior Alaina Palalay. “I’m currently saving for the sweater smiski, the moving smiskis, the hippers, exercising smiskis, and zipperbite.”
There are many different styles of Smiskis that people look for. Just like mafusands, there are hippers most commonly used to decorate desks, but there are also the exercise series, dressing series, museum series, and more.
Most people tend to find Smiskis at places like Kawaii Corner as well as on the Smiski site itself. In person, these collectables can cost up to $13.
“From someone who’s been on the journey looking, comparing your prices at different stores before buying, and saving up is the best advice I could give, especially if you want a specific one from a series,” said Palalay.
Labubu
Labubu are tiny monster plushes that have cute little smiles and come in a variety of colors. There are various types of labubu, but the most commonly collected one is the individual plush dolls.
“What influenced me to start collecting Labubu was social media,” said senior Kiersten Franciscos’ mom Kayz Francissco. “It became popular because of Lisa from Blackpink, and so I jumped on the Bandwagon.”
These dolls can cost anywhere between $60 to $120, depending on the demand of the doll as well as where you get it from. The most common place to buy them is from Popmart itself.
“My tip would be to do your research first. The more popular the items are, the more fake versions are going to come out,” said Fransiscco. “Love your collections, be proud and cherish them. If you start collecting an item that has a high chance of being “collectable” or has the potential of having a higher value later on, then you should start collecting those.”
To buy blind bags like these, check out Kawaii Corner in Lynhaven Mall or Enson Market on Fordham Drive.
