Tearing open a cardboard box to reveal a Smiski, Sonny Angel or Pop Mart figurine that you hoped for brings consistent joy. Blind boxes, a type of packaging where the toy is a mystery, are clever marketing tactics designed to create online buzz and drive consumer industry. The concept of blind boxes first originated in Japan, and its success led to the Blind Box Market being valued at $13.5 billion worldwide.
Although it may be a fun experience, mystery box collectibles contribute to mass overconsumption and create further problems for the environment. Consumers must do their part to help mitigate the lasting negative impacts these products create.
Collecting blind box figurines involves the continuous pursuit of small objects from a certain series. While collecting has been a hobby for centuries, the phenomenon of curating a collection just recently grew into an $8.2 billion industry in the U.S. Toru Soeya, a Japanese toy designer, created the Sonny Angel in 2004 to accompany working women in Japan dealing with the stresses of adulthood. Since then, Sonny Angels, along with other blind box figures such as Smiskis and Pop Marts, have become widely collected items, often used to decorate shelves.
Purchasing collectibles en masse negatively impacts the environment due to the level of production that is required for large inputs of energy which generates a surplus of waste. Plastic packaging, often discarded immediately, is the dominant source of plastic waste, accounting for nearly half of the global total. The ATBC-PVC plastic used in Smiskis and Sonny Angels is notoriously resistant to biodegradation. Therefore, waste services don’t recycle these toys because it’s cost of breaking down and processing the materials is prohibitive.
The Social Science Research Network analyzes the relationship between consumerism and the environment, noting that the underlying issue is not only production but consumption and its patterns. A culmination of marketing tactics and internet buzz surrounding blind boxes make them popular enough to pose an environmental threat, in part due to the excessive and consistent purchase of the items.
Blind boxes are marketed in a way that causes consumers to desire more than a single toy. A study by the Atlantis Press concludes that blind boxes satisfy consumers’ psychological needs for curiosity, nostalgia and the desire of companionship. The element of surprise leads buyers to repeatedly purchase blind boxes to fulfill these desires, thus increasing overall sales. This clever marketing strategy leads to rapid production, further increasing the environmental impacts of blind boxes.
Uncertainty is effective for selling an abundance of products. Marketing professors Kelly Goldsmith and On Amir explore how the element of uncertainty affects retail. They note that incorporating uncertainty can have a powerful marketing effect, as it encourages consumers to invest more time and money to obtain uncertain rewards. The fact that the Sonny Angel, Smiski and PopMart figurines are hidden in uniform boxes causes individuals to invest more money on these collections. Further enticing customers, Pop Mart’s popular “Molly” set of 12 includes a rare figurine that appears only in one out of 144 boxes. Despite the odds, consumers gamble and fall into a trap of continuously repurchasing sets by chasing rare designs.
Another factor explaining the global success of blind boxes stems from inner child consumerism. This concept is understood to be marketing toys to young adults in their 20s as an attempt to “heal” their inner child. Toy manufacturing companies exploit consumers’ need to fulfill an unquenched desire for childhood toys and convince them they need certain toys to feel happy. Although they resemble baby toys, the Japanese toy manufacturing company Dreams Co Inc. revealed their target audience for Sonny Angels is women in their 20s.
Reframing our approach to consumption can improve the burden that production places on the environment. Consumers can choose collectibles made from alternative materials, such as wood or bioplastic. For example, they could opt for a wooden figurine display. As there is already a large market for reselling Sonny Angels, Smiskis and PopMart figures, consumers can also buy second hand to reduce the waste created from new toys. Manufacturers and consumers can lower the number of collectibles that end up in landfills by changing material choices and showing restraint in how they partake in consumerism.
Besides aiming towards producing more sustainable products, collectors can also buy less. Rather than purchasing as many blind boxes as possible, they should find satisfaction in owning fewer figurines. Periodically assess your collection and evaluate your figures’ significance. Setting boundaries for your figurine collecting can ensure that the enjoyment of blind boxes does not shift into hoarding. There is no denying the pleasure that blind boxes bring, but small sacrifices by consumers can help ensure joy doesn’t come at the expense of the environment.
Taryn Ogasawara is an Opinion Intern for the summer 2024 quarter. She can be reached at ogasawat@uci.edu.
Edited by Trista Lara and Xinyu Zhang.
