Blind boxes, novelty items, and obsessed fans
Last night, I opened some blind boxes.
I had actually gone to the Pop Mart Pop-up Store in SM Mall of Asia for an interview but, like anyone who sets foot there can attest, it’s difficult to walk out of the place empty-handed. The cute figures and boxes will call out to you, asking to be brought home.
In July 2020, I wrote about how designer toys were keeping me sane during the pandemic. These were the toys I was talking about—Pop Mart blind boxes that contained the creations of different artists. So much has changed in four years—Labubu mania, the pop-up opening in the Philippines, more IPs—but the joys of blind boxes remain the same: the thrill of not knowing what you’ll get, the possibility of nabbing the elusive secret figure, enjoying the intricate details of the toy that’s finally in your hands, discovering the story behind it, and, if you’re so inclined, playing with it.
Last night’s unboxing brought me back to those days in lockdown, when Pucky, Molly, Satyr Rory and Momiji brought me so much happiness.
That was the first thing I told Jeremy Lee, Pop Mart’s director for Southeast Asia: that their toys helped me survive the pandemic.
Mine isn’t an unusual story. There were so many of us obsessing over Pop Mart’s blind boxes—we even had online collectors’ groups. Pop Mart, which began as a single store in Beijing opened by Wang Ning in 2010, now has millions of fans all over the world. They’ve been a big name in the world of toy collecting for a while now but they exploded and hit the mainstream this year.
A big part of that is the craze over Labubu, the mischievous-looking elf with long pointy ears and super sharp teeth who was created by artist and children’s book illustrator Kasing Lung, thanks to social media posts by Lisa of Blackpink. “That was the iconic moment, when she did that. It just went viral,” Lee said.
Space Molly at the Pop Mart pop-up.
Lisa’s obsession
Recently, Vanity Fair released a video called “Lisa’s Secret Obsession with Pop Mart,” showing the K-pop superstar cradling an enormous Labubu and Zimomo (a lesson from Lisa: if she has a tail, she’s Zimomo, if she doesn’t, it’s Labubu), and opening a bunch of Pop Mart blind boxes—Hirono, Dimoo, Pucky, Skullpanda and more. Holding a blind box containing a CryBaby X Powerpuff Girls plush pendant, Lisa asked the Vanity Fair team, “How did you get this? This is really rare and hard to find.”
Later, as she opened a Dimoo box, she said, “Normally, I just get the whole set so I don’t have to be like, ‘Oh no, I want the other one.’”
Lee told Lifestyle, “She did that on her own. It was amazing. She’s really like our organic ambassador.”
In the video, Lisa explained, “I just got into Pop Mart early this year. I learned about this from one of my close friends in Thailand … I go to Pop Mart everywhere. If I fly to New York, I go to Miami, I try to find Pop Mart there … Paris, you know, everywhere. It’s like finding treasure.”
In the Philippines, the pop-up opened in the first days of November and there continues to be lines every day.
“Every time we go into a new market, it’s like, let’s see what happens, because you’re trying to understand what the new market is like. But we did have certain signs, like e-commerce was doing super well here. Filipinos really, really like Pop Mart,” Lee said.
Even celebrities like Marian Rivera, who cut the ribbon at the pop-up opening, are hooked.
Permanent store
The pop-up will stay open until the end of January, Lee said, but that’s just the beginning. “What I can say is we have big plans for next year … there’s gonna be a permanent store. Pop Mart’s success here is giving us even more motivation to quicken our pace.”
Labubu fans will have a lot to be excited about. “We have a lot of new novelty coming up, a lot of new stuff. We will continue to bring more and more new products here and make sure that everybody gets the chance to have something they like in the shop.”
But Lee hopes that Labubu fans would also discover the many other characters they offer. “Pop Mart has a lot of other IPs as well. Every IP has a story, every IP is different … I encourage everyone to really go deep into the stories of the IPs and the artists and find out how much of the artists put themselves into the IP. I think it’s very fascinating.”
Lee’s own apartment windows are lined with Pop Mart characters.
One of his favorites is CryBaby, a line of adorable crying characters. He loves the story behind it. “When you look at CryBaby, you’ll realize they have floppy ears. Molly, the designer, created the drawing of CryBaby as an ode to her dog who passed. At the same time, the theme is, what’s wrong with crying? It’s okay to cry.”
Hirono, created by artist Lang “to highlight the subtle fluctuations of life” and “to represent human emotions,” is another favorite. “In the Philippines, after Labubu, it’s Hirono. It sells out quickly. There must be something about Hirono that resonates with them.”
Nyota and Inosoul, both created by artists from Pop Mart’s Pop Design Center, are also gaining traction.
Molly, created by Hong Kong-based artist Kenny Wong in 2006, was Molly’s first IP. (See related story.) It continues to be popular—especially the Space Molly line that includes the big 1,000-percent figures that can get pretty expensive. “Space Molly is a thing of its own. Nobody rivals Space Molly, not even close. Space Molly is very special,” said Lee.
Pop Mart is not a toy company, said Lee. “We’re an art, culture and entertainment company.” They make it easy for people to connect with artists and own a piece of their art—”at a reasonably affordable price,” added Lee.
Novelty items
The core of their portfolio has always been blind boxes, he said, but novelty items like the plush pendants (also called bag charms) that catapulted the Labubu craze, lanyards, bags, ear pod cases and phone chains are becoming a “bigger and bigger part of the business.”
“There’s something very sexy about wearability,” Lee said. “We innovate with new items because if you like an IP, you want to bring it around with you.”
At the pop-up store, they had a nice assortment of blind boxes and novelty items. They have the characters Pop Mart has become known for but also lines featuring other IPs like Batman, Disney Princesses, Hello Kitty, Spy x Family, League of Legends, Transformers, Star Wars, SpongeBob, Minions and more.
Milling about were kids trying to convince their parents to let them add more blind boxes to their baskets, people on the hunt for specific products, and those shopping for presents.
What advice does Lee have for people in search of gifts? “If you know the IP they like best, that’s easier. But if not, choose an IP that suits their personality.”
Blind boxes make for great presents because, like Pop Mart Philippines’ head of marketing Mishen Samonte said, you’re not just giving them a gift, you’re giving them an experience.
Recently, another musical artist revealed their love for Labubu—Dua Lipa, who posted a photo of Labubu plush pendants hanging from their bag.
“It’s really fun to see where this will go,” Lee said with a grin.
