Sweet Surprise: Secret Box Toys Ready for the Season!

According to reports from New York, U.S. consumers, while searching for a genuine Pop Mart Labubu, are launching "mystery box" products that are more affordable and easily available from competitors for the most important holiday shopping season this year. These toys aim to capitalize on the frenzy created by plush mini monsters.

Major retailers like Walmart have started publishing popular gift lists featuring new mystery box figurines and trading cards. U.S. based companies like Hasbro and Mattel have introduced mysterious versions of toys like Furby and Barbie packaged in mystery wrap. Mystery box toys come with packaging that conceals what is inside, prompting customers to continue their purchases until they find the product they want, such as Spin Master’s popular CrystaLynx dragons.

Labubu created excitement over the summer, and its popularity surged as retailers finalized their holiday plans. The "ugly-cute" toys that smile with their teeth aren't widely available in the market, and they sell out in minutes. They find value of hundreds or thousands of dollars on resale sites like eBay. Consequently, their high prices and limited availability have resulted in them not appearing on the best toy lists published by major retailers and industry magazines.

However, toy shelves in holiday shopping areas like Target are filled with mysterious packaging. Retailers, manufacturers, and analysts expect these toys to achieve significant sales this holiday season due to their low costs, addictive shopping experiences, and appeal to both adults and children.

A Target spokesperson stated that the variety of mystery box products for the holidays has doubled, adding products from brands such as Baby Three, MGA Entertainment’s Miniverse, Zuru’s Minibrands, and Aphmau among others.

According to Circana’s U.S. toy industry advisor Juli Lennett, “This year is bigger, constantly growing.” Lennett explained what toy manufacturers love: “When people buy it, they don’t buy just one, they buy 10 or 30. There’s a chasing feeling,” she said.

Lennett noted that toy prices have been increasing over the months, partly due to tariffs on products imported from China. However, most mystery box toys continue to remain affordable, making them appealing as gifts or for small gift bags.

Ashley Harseim, a resident of New York, wants a gift card for the mystery box retailer Miniso during the holiday season. This China-based chain, with over 200 U.S. stores, offers figurines featuring characters from Peanuts, Care Bears, and Disney Pixar in mysterious packaging.

Ashley said, “Surprises are great, they provide a little dopamine boost, and who doesn’t need that during this period?” She buys mystery boxes with cat figurines ranging from $6 to $10 to display on a shelf in her home.

“I look at my phone, check the news, and then look at my little cat and say, ‘ah,’” she added.

Overall, collectible products, along with trading cards like Pokemon, contributed to growth in the toy market during the first nine months of this year. Circana's data does not include Labubu sales, as it primarily covers larger retailers.

However, despite their popularity, the overall impact of mystery box toys on holiday spending might remain limited. Manufacturers have marketed them in the past as small gifts and impulse buys sold to people throughout the year, making holiday sales insignificant in their total annual revenues. On the other hand, the last three months of the year account for 40% of sales in the toy industry, Lennett noted.

Circana predicts that toy sales volume may decrease by 2.5% during the holiday shopping season. Nevertheless, this holiday season is poised to be significant for specialty retailers like Miniso, its competitor Ohku, and Showcase, which is based in Canada. Showcase is selling genuine Labubu products and expanding in malls and shops across the country.

Ohku introduced a new series of mystery boxes for the holidays and plans to have its products available on Amazon.com soon. Showcase is bringing Sonny Angel products that compete with Labubu to 41 U.S. locations, with CEO Samir Kulkarni stating that these will reach stores in December.

Kulkarni said, “Mystery boxes will become quite popular.” He added, “This will be the biggest category for the toys and collectibles we sell. It represented a small portion of our sales last year. Therefore, this Christmas is set to be a record Christmas.”