Labu Toys packaging is seen in a souvenir store in Krakow, Poland on August 21, 2025.
Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty images
Even Confucius enters the enthusiasm of the “blind box” in China.
At the main temple of Beijing to the greatest sage in China, the souvenir stores sell a range of “blind boxes”, gifts wrapped in such a way that buyers do not know exactly what variety of the article they buy before their commitment.
A popular blind box at the store is a treat of ice cream with a blessing from Confucius. The faithful pay $ 4.50 and, only after unpacking dessert, read that they are a high -level student or are intended to have a splendid future.
The mania on mysteries boxes have repercussions throughout the economy with everyone, from travel agents to supermarkets offering their own versions. Fliggy, Alibaba groupThe travel services platform offers “Blind Box” flight tickets as low as $ 64 for a round trip to Japan where travelers select a Chinese departure city and are allocated one of the multiple options for dates and destinations.
In Beijing Pop Mart was at the forefront of this phenomenon. It is the company behind Labubu, the monster doll similar to the elf created by the Dutch artist of Hong Kong Kasing Lung. Labu toys are sold exclusively through the collector’s company, generating massive profits, and they are sold in the same blind box format that can encourage repeated purchases to get the right one.
Ruan Yue, a 23 -year -old student, says that she spends $ 55 a month on the blind boxes – and likes the bet. Ruan has 150 labubu and other Mystery Packaging dolls.
“As you open the box if it’s a version you want or a limited edition, you are so excited,” she said. “And that’s something I may allow myself.”
Labus prices and other characters sold at Pop Mart average between $ 9 and $ 30.
Labu’s plush figures are for sale in a Pop Mart brand store on July 10, 2025 in Beijing, China.
Johannes NEUDECKER | Photo alliance | Getty images
The blind boxes, or “manghe” in Chinese, increased in popularity in China during the pandemic. Pop Mart broadcast toys and sold them online and in automatic distributors at a time when the Chinese population was constant cocovid locking.
Young Chinese consumers, feeling depressed due to pandemic controls and slow economy, turned to budgetary follies for a boost. Buyers could exchange toys or earn boosting rights if they were lucky to mark a rare version coveted by their peers.
Chinese retailer MinisoWho is registered on the New York Stock Exchange, offers blind watches, adhesive ribbon, stationery and ball pens.
Retail professional at Miniso CNBC said that the curiosity of what is inside convinces customers to try their luck and finally continue to buy.
The Chinese government, however, has warned through its state media against “irrational consumption” and “dependence” blind.
The people’s daily life in June called for more strict trend regulations, especially for children. Citing experts, the state’s official newspaper reported that practice was a “trade trap that precisely targets the psychological vulnerabilities of minors”.
