They may appear to be nothing more than plastic, but their appeal extends beyond what they are made of. In a world of collectibles, Sonny Angel has taken the toy market by storm and captivated the hearts of collectors and fans worldwide.
The nickname “Sonny” comes from its creator: Japanese toy designer Toru Soeya, whose motive was to provide a “little boyfriend” or support to 25-year-old working women. Sonny Angels are about three inches tall and the figurines boast a cherubic and childlike design. They are essentially a modernized toy of Cupid’s angel and look like a version of vintage Kewpie dolls. They come in different colored boxes with each color representing a different series or the theme of the figurines. There are 10 different series of Sonny Angels in total, and over 900 different dolls have been made cumulatively.
Despite being released in 2005, the dolls only recently rose in popularity due to the influence of TikTok and Pinterest. TikTok’s #sonnyangels has over 155 million views and is expected to increase as more influencers and content creators put up more content with Sonny Angels. They are a popular item throughout social media and at school.
Many students have Sonny Angel Hippers, which are figurines that stick to a person’s phone or laptop. During tutorial and passing period, I can catch my friends with Sonny Angel Hippers on their phones and laptops. I even caught one of my friend’s mom having a Hipper stuck with her phone in her back pocket. These figurines are cheaper and users say it gives a cute appeal to their phone’s overall aesthetic. Over the summer, many people go to Japan or Taiwan and buys Sonny Angels in bulk. There, they are cheaper, at around five to six dollars, while it is nearly double in the US.
I have a Sonny Angel from the Cat Life series. When I first got it, while the doll was cute and pleasing to look at, I thought that it lacked the support or stress relief aspect it was originally supposed to give to “working” people. I didn’t believe that it could actually help people feel better when they are stressed, but apparently they do. I don’t want to overhype them because I think they give the same “stress relief” as any other toy or stuffed animal. However, their size and cute design is very calming when I’m tired and still studying for my classes.
One of its appeals is its unique distribution. Sonny Angels are sold in blind boxes, meaning the figurines are unknown until the buyer opens the box. The element of surprise adds an extra layer of excitement to the act of collecting and collectors find joy in unpredictability. In each series, there is a “secret version” of the doll that appears randomly. There are also “special secret versions” that exist and there are only a few in the entire world. People continue to buy Sonny Angels because they want to get a certain version. However, since there are so many different versions, it’s hard to get the one they want, and as a result, they just keep spending and spending more money.
Despite its clout, I find the dolls seriously overpriced. On the website, one doll from the regular series costs around 10 dollars but the price can rise over 20 dollars for the special series, costing way more than an average doll. However, since Sonny Angels are rising in demand, resellers and mass collectors have started to monopolize the market and resellers have started to sell Sonny Angels for more than double the original price. Collectors are buying and hoarding huge amounts of toys; as a result, people have resorted to buying from resellers. Sonny Angels are great but the prices and demand are increasing at an insanely fast rate.
