Blind box addiction is an epidemic and I would gladly reject a cure. I’m not usually susceptible to low stakes gambling, I leave that to Genshin Impact players and people who collect the Safeway Monopoly tickets, but blind boxes are perfectly catered to appeal to the things I like most: independent artists and small collectibles. And judging by their sudden rise in stores like Five Below, Miniso, and Barnes & Noble, many others are finding blind boxes hard to resist as well. For all my other collectors out there, here are a few of my favorite series to add to your shopping cart!
Smiski
While Sonny Angels and Smiski’s seemed to get popular around the same time, there’s something more intriguing to me about these small glowing guys than the strange naked babies. The first Smiski I ever bought was in New York about ten years ago. It’s a small glow-in-the-dark person in a sitting position, and during my trip I took about a thousand pictures of it in different spots around the city. Each Smiski is posed in a different position depending on their series – series’ include things like moving, exercising, living, museum, and dressing. Though they are posed differently, they all hold the same slightly frowning face which can carry a lot of different emotions depending on what activity they are doing. Generally they have an air of dissociation and distress, which as a college student, I deeply relate. Smiski is a really good starter blind box since they have a ton of different lines and the general look of the person doesn’t vary (so even if you don’t get the one you want, it will still look similar).
Hirono
Hirono is a character created by the artist Lang and is a sad little kid generally in costumes related to the fantastical elements of childhood and imagination. This line is relatively new, but very popular. The muted color palette and strange costumes make these blind boxes interesting no matter which character you get. So far there are five different series’: The Other One, Shelter, Little Mischief, Mime, and Reshape. Hirono is a particular favorite of mine because of the emotional elements of the series; a lot of the characters emphasize negative aspects of childhood like feelings of loneliness, not being heard, or not being taken care of. The costumes of the characters are also very unique with things like being hidden inside a cardboard rocket ship, the body being the outstretched arms of a tree, or being stuck inside a fish bag. Hirono is a good series for buying multiple boxes, since each character is so unique, it makes them all interesting to collect.
Peach Riot
Peach Riot is a new series created last year by Libby Frame. Libby is actually an artist I followed before the announcement of her blind box series, and whose illustrations of the Peach Riot characters were very popular before becoming figures. Peach Riot is a band consisting of three girls: Gigi, the lead singer and guitarist, Frankie, the drummer, and Poppy, the bass and keyboard player. There’s only three Peach Riot series’ so far: Rise Up, Punk Fairy, and Street Style. These figures are larger than the average blind box figure – around the size of a doll rather than a 3”-4” figure. This makes them a bit more expensive than typically blind boxes, but the level of detail in each one makes up for it. I’d recommend Peach Riot for anyone who wants something more unique than the typical style of blind box figures, or anyone who would like to know a lot about the characters before purchasing.
Skullpanda
Skullpanda is an edgy and well-established character created by Xiong Miao. Generally, Skullpanda is a feminine character with baubles near their ears that often are attached to a space helmet. The figures blend sci-fi and popstar-like elements to create many beautiful and thematically different series’, some of which include Everyday Wonderland, Image of Reality, and the Sound. My favorite of the series’ is Warmth, a series which is meant to mimic the look of pale, porcelain dolls. Skullpanda has so many different figures to choose from within its 6-year-long catalog which makes it perfect for people who want a lot of variety. It has many accessories beyond blind boxes as well, including cups, magnets, bags, phone cases, and even a lamp, all with the signature style of the figures. If I somehow fall into a big vat of money, my first purchase will be the Skullpanda x Nana collab where the two titular characters of the anime are reimagine in the Skullpanda style as two full-sized dolls.
All apologies for the major dent in your wallet, but if I’m sick with the blind box ills, then I’m infecting everyone else as well! I hope having some options for different collections gives you the wonderful illusion of choice in the matter – now it’s up to you to see if you will be able to win the figure of your dreams.