how this Japanese doll broke the toy industry

Get 80% off with Hostinger's Black Friday deal at https://hostinger.com/answerinprogress Use the code ANSWERINPROGRESS for an additional discount! Have you seen these baby dolls or little green guys on your social media feed? They are called Sonny Angels or Smiskis. They're some of the earliest examples of blind box toys and their recent popularity has led to an industry valuation of $41.8B. In this video, Sabrina explores how Pop Mart drove these toys into the mainstream, dives into the science and economics behind their success, and takes an honest look at the industry and its potential harm. SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://patreon.com/answerinprogress SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER https://www.answerinprogress.com/newsletter SOCIAL MEDIA Sabrina Twitter: https://twitter.com/nerdyandquirky Instagram: http://instagram.com/nerdyandquirky Melissa Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehlizfern Instagram: http://instagram.com/mehlizfern Taha Twitter: https://twitter.com/khanstopme Instagram: http://instagram.com/khanstopme CREDITS Produced by Sabrina Cruz Video Editing by Joe Trickey Motion Design by Sabrina Cruz Sound Design by Joe Trickey Special Thanks to Abi, Mxmtoon, Gabby, Jade, and Rhose MUSIC Epidemic Sound. Get started today using our affiliate link. http://share.epidemicsound.com/answerinprogress TIMESTAMPS 00:00 in this economy?! 00:49 in before "these are just pokemon cards" 01:00 what is different about blind boxes 01:49 who is buying a seinfeld blind box 01:52 a reasonable experiment? on this channel?! 02:19 how blind boxes work 04:10 letting ethics get in the way of science 04:37 you just know Elsevier hates to see me coming 04:57 why adults are started buying toys 06:20 why companies are leaning in 07:11 why no one can stop this cycle 08:51 is that the scientific method i see 09:28 can u tell i forgot the histogram plot option existed? 09:42 quantitative AND qualitative data, we're cookin 10:17 local woman discovers that people like chaos 10:38 i probably should've done this sooner 12:17 this better not awaken anything in me 14:06 the dichotomy of blind boxes 14:40 maybe blind boxes are just harmless fun 15:07 or maybe they're part of a bigger problem 15:30 closing thoughts ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the joke under the fold! Here's a classy one for ya: It looks like they're releasing a surrealist painter line of Sonny Angels. I'm hoping to grab a Salvador Dolly. Leave a comment with the word DOLLY to let me know you were here ;-)