A surprise at a certain price: Tiny boxes with big figures

AMBIGUITY FUELS fear and excitement. The joy of not knowing, at times, is just as valuable as the comfort of knowing.  

Take Christmas for example, where gifts are at their most prominent. From exchanging gifts between friends to receiving presents from a family member, there is a unifying added value to gift-giving itself. The actual presents are always hidden behind colorful wrappers. Unless they rip these apart, they will never know what lies within.  

As time goes on, people continue to chase that sentimental feeling—the joy and excitement of unveiling what is inside the colorful wrappers, with edges neatly folded and secured with tape, only to be opened within a few seconds out of thrill. 

The toy collection scene in the Philippines has been present for years, but an enormous rise has recently been evident. The main reason: probabilistic toys contained in tiny packages called “blind boxes” creating an increased demand for the collectible figures that come at a certain price.  

At present, for some, the identical feeling of what it is like to be a kid is felt through the delight of collecting toys and the mystery it holds. 

Collectors used to ensure that they got exactly what they were looking for. Beloved toys like Funko Pops and Barbie dolls as well as other action figures are packaged within colorful and clear plastic boxes, allowing buyers a first-hand look at what they are about to pay for.   

But today, collecting has gone beyond the pure joy of acquiring a wide array of collectibles representing a certain character or figure.  

First sold to the public in 2011, Funko Pops are vinyl collectibles of action figures and television characters with oversized heads, packaged in a clear box. Similar to blind boxes, these toys also come in limited edition pieces, increasing the demand from collectors.  

The concept between Funko Pops and blind boxes are not that far apart. After all, both are just tiny packages enclosing random toys, preserving the delight inanimate figures are about to give to their collectors. These collectibles have taken over the hearts of many–not just the kids, but also the kids at heart. 

The usually unusual looking figurines, says Filbar’s store executive John Rodney Angot, have had its fair share of devoted followers and buyers.  

“Pinakamataas sa isang customer, umabot siya ng P200,000. Random na blind boxes, merong Pop Mart, meron din yung hot toys na cos baby na blind box, iba-ibang brand,” Angot said.  

These tiny boxes containing inanimate and lifeless figures are novelty products. Filbar’s seems to have seen it all, its shop standing tall in Robinson’s Manila since 1979 as an official collectibles store. 

As shared by Angot, the demand for these novelty products has increased during the second quarter of 2024. 

“Ang kadalasang customer namin yung mga young professionals saka students, ‘yun mas patok siya [blind boxes] dun sa mga ‘yun.” 

 And, beyond collecting, there appears to be a deeper, emotional appeal behind these toys, prompting collectors to do what they do.  

The first blind box toy unboxing experience 

The emerging concept of ‘healing your inner child’ plays a big part for the collectors.  

“Yung first blind box ko was a gift. Siyempre, masaya. Priority ko rin yung na-pull ko na Smiski, tapos bumili pa ako kasi baka malungkot siya nang walang kasama, then nag tuloy-tuloy na,” college junior Avigayle Padua said. 

The same sentiments ring true for 26-year-old professional Marbe Stella Castillo, as opening blind boxes has given her feelings of excitement and anticipation that felt synonymous with her childhood memories. 

“The first blind box item I got with my own adult money was on my 26th birthday. It brought back the feeling of nostalgia from when I was buying snacks that had surprise toys inside the packages,” she said.  

As for the 25-year-old multimedia artist Ron Jacob Regalado, he was influenced by his friends and workmates who collect Hirono and Sonny Angels.  

Some collections start from seeing the blind boxes online, being influenced by friends, toys being gifted to them, the satisfaction of getting their desired figures, to chasing more feelings of excitement of getting the unknown. 

The number of collectors and people who have grown hooked on collecting these toys continues to increase in recent times. No matter their reasons, there is one unifying element that binds these collectors’ affinity with these tiny boxes.  

Chasing the rare figures 

More than just the surprise, each box of the toys comes with varying characters and priority figures from regular ones to the revered ‘secrets’ which refer to the rarest kind one could get from a series.  

Secret figures are very rare, and they have increased appeal to collectors for obvious reasons.  In the context of blind boxes, these are referred to as “series” where a character features different themes. In a series, only one among the numerous figurines is the secret one, making the probability of securing it lower than other figures. 

In a study by Scott Fay and Jinhong Xie in 2007, a “probabilistic good” is not selling a specific item. It is a marketing strategy that creates buyer uncertainty, offering a surprise entailed with the probability of obtaining a particular product from a set of unique items.  

The thrill from these tiny packages can be considered as probabilistic goods. Due to the demand, especially the limited ones, people have reached the point of buying from resellers.  

“Usually kasi out of stock [sa physical stores] kasi hino-hoard ng mga resellers. Kaya ayun, medyo malaki patong ng mga resellers kasi alam nila na in demand. Laging above SRP (suggested retail price) ang bentahan nila unless unwanted yung figurines,” college student Felicithi Red Ocampo said, who has spent almost P12,000 in collecting the toys.  

Collectors have remained inclined with the thrill of securing their priority figures and characters stored in a tiny box full of surprises. 

As the demand may have reached its all-time high, it brings us back to a never-ending question: by how much have the costs of these tiny toys increased?  

The thrill and its price  

The collectors have all shared how much they have spent on these blind boxes. Young professionals are especially enthusiastic about collecting, now that they are earning their own money to pay for these mini figures that bring joy and comfort. 

“Nag-increase siya ng mga 5 percent or 10 percent ganoon. Hindi naman siya nakakaapekto sa mga customer,” Angot said. 

According to the official website of Pop Mart Philippines, the price for each blind box toy ranges from P600 to P900. 

But the enthusiasts shared that despite the small price increases they notice in physical stores, it still depends on where they buy it. 

No matter the price, the thousands of pesos, for many, are mere grocery budgets for a month, or maybe even two. 

The reality of these numbers shed light on the price of the mystery and thrill. Ultimately questioning what happens once the value collectors once attributed to these figures disintegrate. 

Is it here to stay? 

For Angot, these trends can be attributed to the so-called predecessors of these blind boxes and the many ways collectors make use of these little figurines.

More than just storing the collectibles, many collectors bring their unboxed blind box toys with them, using them as keychains or charms on their bags. 

“Kasi nga blind box siya may mga priority or ano sila specific na character na hinahanap kaya yun yung binabalik-balikan nila,” Angot said. 

“Tingin ko trend lang siya sa ngayon, kasi matagal na rin kasi talaga yung blind box, netong 2024 lang talaga siya nag hype nang todo,” Angot added. 

In the end, the answer to whether the price they pay is worth it or not lies within the collectors themselves. And, there could be more reasons than what meets the eye.  

“For me it serves as a companion for young and working adults like me. My collection shows a reflection of characters that imitates daily life activities. It glows in the dark too, so it adds more charm to it,” Castillo said. 

The personal and emotional values collectors like Castillo, Padua, Regalado, and Ocampo attribute to these lifeless toys supersede the gravity of what they spent—of the thousands of pesos that have left their pockets. Marie Nicole Gonzales