If you thought toys were just for kids, the internet would like a word with you. Grown adults are queuing for hours, dropping rent money on tiny plastic creatures, and fighting in comment sections over a smiling gremlin called Labubu.

These toys are sold in sealed “blind boxes”, so you never know which character you get until you open it. One human-size Labubu figure even sold at auction for more than $150,000 . Pop Mart, the company behind Labubu, pulled in hundreds of millions in revenue from these collectibles alone and turned its CEO into a multi-billionaire ( source ).

Fashion and business outlets from Vogue to The Washington Post now track this toy craze like it is high fashion. So what is going on, and how can you use it for content that actually brings traffic and money?

First, what are blind-box toys?

Blind-box toys are collectible figures sold in sealed boxes. You choose the series, but the character inside is random. Brands like Pop Mart built entire empires on this model, releasing characters such as Labubu, Crybaby and Jellycat-style creatures in limited runs and “secret” rare versions ( source ).

It works like this:

• You buy a box without knowing which figure you will get.
• Most boxes contain common characters. A few hide rare ones.
• Collectors trade, resell and show off complete sets online.

That mix of surprise, scarcity and social flex is the fuel for the obsession.

Why grown-ups are lining up for “ugly-cute” toys

Several big forces are pushing this craze:

1. Comfort in a stressful world

Adults are dealing with a messy economy, climate anxiety and burnout. Reports on the trend say these toys offer soft comfort and a small escape from real life ( analysis ). Hugging a weird little monster is cheaper than therapy, at least in the short term.

2. Nostalgia and identity

Articles on viral toys point out that characters like Labubu or Crybaby feel like childhood plushies upgraded for adults ( source ). People treat them as bag charms, desk buddies and even fashion accessories. Owning a specific character starts to feel like a personality trait.

3. Social media hype and FOMO

TikTok and Instagram are full of unboxing clips, shelf tours and “come queue with me” vlogs. Collectors show off walls of toys and rare pulls. One feature on Labubu fans notes that some collectors now own over 100 figures worth thousands of dollars and found the toy through TikTok’s algorithm ( People ).

Every new drop becomes a mini event, which feeds the next wave of content and sales.

The dark side: when toy collecting starts to feel like gambling

Not everyone is having fun with this. A detailed report in The Guardian tells stories of adults who spent more than a thousand dollars trying to chase rare figures and then felt sick with guilt. Some buyers compare their spending to gambling and say the blind-box model keeps pulling them back in.

Commentators also warn that the same mechanics that make these toys exciting — randomness and scarcity — can push people into compulsive shopping, similar to loot boxes in games or sneaker drops ( Medium breakdown ).

In short, it is cute on the surface, but the psychology is powerful and sometimes dangerous.

How this craze turned into big money

The numbers are wild:

• Pop Mart’s Labubu line generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue by 2024 and helped push the company’s founder into the top tier of China’s billionaires ( source ).
• A special Labubu auction in Beijing brought in millions of yuan, with one figure selling for over $150,000 ( Reuters ).
• Fashion coverage shows celebrities such as Blackpink’s Lisa and Rihanna wearing Labubu charms on designer bags, which pushes demand even higher ( Washington Post ).

At this point, blind-box toys are not just a hobby. They are a full ecosystem: retail, resale, fan art, meetups, and constant viral content.

How you can ride the blind-box wave as a creator

You do not need to be a toy collector already. You just need to treat this like any other hot niche and bring your own angle.

Content ideas that can work right now

• Unbox with a twist. Do “I let my kids pick random blind boxes” or “I opened blind boxes until I pulled a rare figure or hit my budget”.
• Budget vs. reality. Show how much you planned to spend versus what you actually spent, and how many duplicates you got.
• Storytime. Cover real stories from collectors who went viral, overspent or flipped their collections for profit, and react to those clips on TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
• Ranking videos. Rank designs from “cursed” to “must-have” and invite your viewers to argue in the comments.
• Family version. Turn it into a challenge with your kids: each child picks a box and explains why their toy wins. Viewers vote in the comments.

Each of those ideas can feed both your short-form videos and your blog. The more honest you are about the excitement and the risks, the more your content will stand out from basic unboxing clips.

Final thoughts

Blind-box toys look childish at first glance. In reality they combine nostalgia, fashion, gambling-style suspense and serious money. That mix is exactly why they are everywhere in 2025.

If you create content, this trend is a gift. You can cover the cute side, the emotional side and the slightly scary side, all while tapping into a community that already loves to share, comment and argue. Just decide which angle fits your voice and start filming and posting while the craze is still hot.