Some creators have unboxed their social media niche — literally.
For today’s toy collectors, the era of see-through packaging is over. Mystery boxes, in which you do not know what you’re getting until the big reveal upon opening, have taken over store shelves and social media feeds. The result? Anticipation, fandom, and a whole lot of TikTok are fueling a booming unboxing culture.
The unboxing wave centers on social media creators who open surprise collectibles on camera, including Squishmallows, Make It Minis, Mini Brands, Sonny Angel, and, most recently, Labubu.
The more complicated part comes in as they strive to garner millions of followers by not only knowing the social media
algorithms, but also the tricks to getting these hard-to-get items as soon as they hit store shelves. Nathan Fox, known on social media as @nathan_fox_was_here, is an expert on the matter. Fox says his account blew up during the COVID-19 pandemic, a common trope among this niche genre of influencers. At the time of publication, his TikTok audience stands at nearly 3 million followers, and grows by the day.
@nathan_fox_was_here Did I finally get the secet!! #labubu #bigintoenergy #secret #plush #unboxing ♬ original sound - Nathan Fox
Just before Fox sat down for an interview with The Pop Insider, he speedily ran to a local toy store. He got word that the store finally had the new Sonny Angel USA Surprise collection, and it was an opportunity he could not miss because millions of fans rely on him to satisfy their unboxing-watching needs. Thankfully, he got it. Creating this content is now Fox’s full-time job; he tried to balance it with his previous job, and there simply was not enough time in the day. Plus, it takes a lot of extra work to even find the collectibles. It is becoming more competitive by the day.
“The toy community right now is becoming very cut-throat. [Shop owners] are limiting a lot, even in the stores for people. It is hard for a collector. I know there are a lot of resellers out there that are just trying to snag them up. Still, as a collector, I want to get the whole set,” Fox says on being limited to two of the surprise boxes.
Sonny Angel is a series of small figurines featuring a cherubic boy, typically unclothed and always smirking like a cartoon Cupid. What makes it a sought-after collectible is the mystery — buyers don’t know which unique headpiece the figure will wear until it’s unboxed. With more than 1,500 different designs in circulation, the little figures are popping up everywhere. Sonny Angel was even the star of a Saturday Night Live skit due to its virality.
Fans are rabidly snatching Sonny Angel mystery boxes off specialty toy store shelves. The fans in question: “young working women who want a little boyfriend,” according to the Japanese translation of one the figure’s original catchphrases. Of course, anyone can buy a Sonny Angel and use the mini-doll as a shelf or desktop companion, but young working women turned the little cuties into a sold-out sensation — all because of the exciting unboxing appeal.
Jackie Bonheim, director of marketing at Dreams USA (the parent company of Sonny Angel USA), recalls the brand’s viral growth: “It happened gradually, but very fast at the same time. It is funny, it is kind of like we have known it was cute and awesome this whole time, and then it just sort of happened. But then it was great to see people get it and see it kind of click,” she says.”It does not feel real sometimes, but it is kind of beautiful and special to see it resonate with people.”
Like Fox, Aleya, a collector known as @PacoTheSalamander on social media, has gained a large following since she started unboxing surprise box toys during the pandemic. The creator collected the coveted Sonny Angel figures and saw its appeal, and her thousands of fans quickly did as well. She also unboxes Pop Mart’s Labubu and Squishmallows of all sizes, and has even gone old school with unboxing (or opening) Pokémon cards.
Aleya says that she has found a community within the unboxing world and has seen that community evolve. The creator even hosted a meet-up for fans to trade and sell their finds and connect in person.
Aleya hosts meet-ups for her followers to share, trade, and sell the collectibles. This is her shelf of Smiski, a green figure from Sonny Angel’s company, Dreams Co. | Source: @pacothesalamander
“I met different people, different supporters from a lot of different communities,” she says. “I started interacting with the people who follow me and support my channels through meet-ups, so I arranged my first meet-up in Sacramento, California, for Squishmallows.”
Aleya was even a bridesmaid at the wedding of a fellow unboxing creator she met online earlier this year. The connection goes much farther than trading Sonny Angel collectibles; it is about finding a shared joy. “There is something about the concept of it just existing to make you smile, and that is OK,” Bonheim says. “It doesn’t have to function necessarily; it can just be a comfort piece or a little thing that brings you happiness.
@pacothesalamander 7 HOURS😭 mega huge shoutout to Roseville Galleria Popmart staff for the most organized drop with over 400 people! i didnt get when I wanted this time but maybe next time! (jk im never doing this again) #labubus #labubudrop @POP MART US @POP MART #bigintoenergy #popmart ♬ original sound - Paco the Salamander
While anyone could simply unbox a surprise box and film it, the ability to find and buy rare, in-demand, limited-edition toys gives creators the superpower that leads them to virality.
When a new series of in-demand collectibles hits the shelves, the stores have lines out the door, and the product often sells out in minutes. Resellers (a bit of a scary word in the current climate) are often in the lines and sell the coveted figures for upward of hundreds of dollars on resale sites like eBay or Whatnot, a livestream shopping platform where customers can find everything from sneakers and plants to surprise-boxed collectible toys like LaBubu, Sonny Angel, and Squismallows.
“We’ve been seeing an overall uptick in the blind-box unboxing craze on Whatnot, but Labubu sales in particular have been skyrocketing for the past couple of months,” says Eric Shemtov, head of collectibles at Whatnot. “Labubu live sales on Whatnot grew over 115% month-over-month from April to May, and watch time on Labubu shows increased more than 85% compared to the previous month. We expect this trajectory to continue for May, as more sellers jump on the Labubu craze.”
Stemming from a slightly different track, Gillian Kasko, who goes by @gillianxgrace across social media, started and remains a beauty and lifestyle creator. Based in New York City, the creator’s Instagram audience can follow along as she attends events hosted by apparel brands or dines at the city’s latest trendy restaurant. What sets her apart in the sea of beauty and lifestyle influencers that flood your feed is that she has wholly splashed into the world of toy unboxing.
@gillianxgrace A BASKET FULL! @minibrands #minibrandsbooks #minibrands #unboxing ♬ original sound - Gillian Grace
Because she is a part of the influencer marketing program Ulta Beauty Collective, she regularly receives promotional boxes from Ulta to share on camera. One of the boxes Kasko received had a Mini Brands surprise ball with Ulta-themed mini items inside. The beauty retail giant collaborated with Zuru to bring some of its most popular makeup and beauty items to the unboxing toy’s line of collectible minis, gives collectors the chance to discover things like a micro Urban Decay eyeshadow palette or a tiny NYX setting spray — all about the size of a sweater button. After Kasko opened the box on a TikTok, her beauty lifestyle presence on TikTok shifted forever with a very valuable niche: She was now also an “unboxer,” and her fan base grew by thousands.
“I think that is one of the most fun things about being a content creator, you never know what is going to hit and what your audience is going to resonate with,” Kasko says.
Her content is still heavily influenced by beauty and lifestyle, as it originally was, but now the quirky side of toy unboxing has widened her audience and opened the eyes of her original followers to a new world of collectibles. Recently, she posted a Labubu unboxing and has garnered nearly 77,000 views in less than 24 hours.
Whether influencers are opening up an adorable Mini Brands ball, a mysterious-looking Labubu, a cheeky Sonny Angel, or whatever else the next hottest brand will be, there is a demand for more, and these young content creators are happy to leave this box open. ✪
This article was originally featured in the Summer 2025 issue of The Pop Insider. Read more articles from this issue and subscribe to The Pop Insider here!
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the print edition of this article, we incorrectly referred to Whatnot as an "up-and-coming Asian version of eBay" which is factually incorrect. Whatnot is an American company that allows users to engage in a livestream and buy and sell products via online bids or direct purchases. Learn more about Whatnot here.
