Eyes wide for the Blind Box
I'd like to offer a massive hello to any of you reading
It seems that I’ve been officially neglecting my “blog” for over 2.5 years which is not so much a brag as it is a realization….but I’ll do better… I promise. With that, I’d like to muster up my last few brain cells to start the New Year off with a ‘lil think piece from the bottom of my mind. I was chatting with a brick and mortar shop owner friend of mine the other day and as we got to talking he expressed major qualms in regards to the recent-ish global Blind Box hype (for this entry I’ll be interchangeably calling them “BB’s” because its both cute and efficient). He shared with me the fact that his store’s sales have been historically low though it seems the one item that’s immune to the market and its shifts are Blind Boxes! At first I giggled, laughed even. But then he explained that collectors were no longer willing (or able) to drop 200-500$ on a single piece. Which, let’s be real, traditionally our industry and its supporters wouldn’t bark at prices like that but rather they’d willingly support and perpetuate it, especially for a high end custom piece a beloved artist had tirelessly worked on. But if we really think about it, our entire identity as design vinyl collectors relies on high quality, artist forward, collectible, truly rare figures of art.
So to hear that “we” are shifting heavily toward something like the blind box craze feels almost counter intuitive. Before I go too far I’d like to preface that I LOVE A GOOD BLINDBOX SERIES and I’m sure we can all agree that our industry was made accessible by the low price nature of blind boxes; see Kidrobot's Dunny, see Superplastic's Janky, see Popmart's Labubu, see MightyJaxx, etc. And to be quite frank, many of the hot trendy BB's on the market now are actually pretty damn quality with multiple points of articulation, gorgeous color choices and gradients, a glossy shine contrasted with matte finishes, the list could go on. We really are in a Blind Box renaissance. But I’d die on this hill - they’re a jumping off point for companies rather than a settling place. A blind box, to me, is like the seasoning on a thick chicken breast. Without the extra flavor the chicken seems bland. At the same time you can’t eat seasoning alone and call it a meal, or even edible. And I’m worried that our industry is relying very heavily on the ease and convenience of BB’s while actively sacrificing the very worth of ourselves. And for what? A quick shallow sale from someone who (more than likely) is merely following a TikTok trend (Sonny Angels and/or 100 Soft’s Dumpster Fire for example). In my gut I feel and see the artistry of our niche being sucked clean and lazily swapped with cheap, over manufactured, CVS worthy, soulless blindboxes. But I think in the chaos and rubble we really need to remind ourselves that, again, our industry needs passionate collectors willing and able to invest in the artists around them.
I'd just like to clarify (because I coulda come off semi classist) that in the grand scheme of things I am firmly and comfortably (lower???) middle class. I am in no way arguing that the low/accessible price point is the issue but rather our industry nor our artists can stand on blindboxes alone. We are a conglomerate of independent indie creatives that NEED the support of those around us to thrive and grow. Blindboxes seem to stand in direct opposition to that lifestyle, requiring artists to create in larger runs to drop their prices, which realistically means that the artist is no longer handling any of their units but rather designing and acting as a point of sale. I find myself contrasting that business model with the very reason I was interested in the Designer Vinyl Community to begin with; the idea that I could collect ORIGINAL and small run art pieces directly from the artist for a fraction of the high end art world price. To me that’s magical. To me that’s sustainable.
There’s no one group of people to blame here. Everyone wants cute stuff for cheap…even I do duh. But that’s not what the DESIGNER vinyl community is even about and really never has been. So this is, as the white mommy blogger community would say a "call to action" for all self proclaimed toy/art collectors to REALLY support the artists we claim to admire. That could look like buying an original piece from them, making a small donation to them, reposting their work, or simply engaging with their posts - like, comment, save, and share! But the safest way to know how to support your favorite artists are to just ask them :) So, when and if the prices of original work may feel steep remember that we have an economical choice and duty as patrons of the arts to keep our industry alive and well. I've gone ahead and included a few photos of blindbox characters from my personal collection but tbh there are way too many cute collectible babies for me to even photograph. I personally love blindboxes and I will continue to buy them for myself and my friends, but I balance those quaint purchases with authentic and original artwork directly from creatives, galleries, and toy shops. I'm sure my opinion on this matter could feel controversial so I'm curious to hear if you agree or hate me now?
