How Europe went ‘crazy’ for Chinese blind-box toys – and why it matters
The craze is the latest sign that Chinese brands are becoming more skilled at winning over Western consumers
Hundreds of fans were already waiting in line – some young, some old, some pushing prams – when Camille Lacroix arrived at the opening of Chinese toy giant Pop Mart’s latest Paris location in the La Défense business district last month.
“I arrived at 10am, but guess how many people were already there before?” she wrote in a post about her visit on TikTok. “Spoiler: it was crazy.”
Others who survived the opening day crush flocked to the comment section to share their experiences.
“I arrived at 7.30am and there were already 87 people ahead of me,” one user wrote, adding the scared emoji. “But I got what I wanted.”
For the uninitiated, brands like Pop Mart specialise in selling cute collectible dolls that can be clipped onto a key ring or a handbag. The twist: the toys are often sold in mystery boxes, so customers are never sure which character they will find inside.
The company has opened flashy outlets in capitals across Europe – from the Louvre in Paris to London’s Oxford Street – where diehard fans are often prepared to wait for hours just to get their hands on their favourite dolls.
Parisian barista Siam Sartori, 23, is a veteran Pop Mart fan and a proud owner of about 20 of the company’s dolls. But she deliberately avoided the opening at La Défense: she knew it would be insane.