Whenever I see toys packaged in blind box packaging, it reminds me of collecting trading cards as a kid and that feeling of wanting the entire set, but knowing the likelihood of that happening was directly tied to how much allowance money I was willing to invest. I can still vividly remember the excitement of opening the wrapper and the few seconds that followed as I quickly flipped through the cards to see if the players I needed were there. That unwrapping moment was overwhelmingly fun. Just as much fun, I might argue, as enjoying the cards themselves.
Clearly, kids today still love to be surprised. The popularity of YouTube unboxing videos since the mid-2000s is testament to this. In fact, the unboxing video phenomenon is considered the catalyst to the advent of blind box packaging — the toy industry’s way of packaging collectible products so that consumers won’t know what’s inside until the product is purchased and the package is opened. It’s essentially a modern-day interpretation of trading card packaging. The anticipation and suspense of opening the package to find the toy inside is exactly the same.