Raising Blind box toys: 12 of 23 popular kids' toys sell some items in blind boxes
How common are blind box toys among the toys young children ask for? Our Kids' Media Risk Index records six yes-or-no flags for 23 popular toys that parents often look up, each backed by a short evidence note. Here is how many of the 23 toys have each flag, from choking warnings to blind boxes and resale prices above retail: 12 sell at least some items in blind boxes, and 5 have reported resale prices above retail. The 23 toys were chosen by us because parents look them up, so this is not a random sample of all toys.
Number of toys, out of 23, with each documented flag (Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10 edition). A flag is set only when we found evidence; blind boxes and resale above retail are highlighted. Source: Martiushin, A. (2026). Raising Stoics Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10 edition [Data set]. Zenodo. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23619163 · CC BY 4.0, Raising Stoics. Chart: Raising Stoics — free to embed with credit.
What the data shows
- 12 of the 23 toys (52%) sell at least some items in blind boxes or random packs, where the buyer can't choose or see the item until it's opened: Barbie, Beyblade, Funko Pop!, Hatchimals, Hot Wheels, L.O.L. Surprise!, Labubu, LEGO, Magna-Tiles, Smiski, Sonny Angel, and Squishmallows.
- 5 of the 23 (22%) have documented resale prices above retail: Hatchimals, Hot Wheels, Labubu, LEGO, and Nee Doh. Four of these five also sell blind boxes. Nee Doh packs come in a random color but aren't sold as blind boxes.
- The most common flag was a choking or small-parts warning, found for 14 of the 23 toys, including 8 of the 12 blind-box toys. Seven toys had a recall of an official product: Barbie, Hoverboards, LEGO, Nerf, Toniebox (the recall was tonies Blocks, a 2022 product from the same maker), Water beads, and Yoto Player. Four had a maker age label above 7, and four had a government lawsuit, fine, or safety warning.
- Two of the 12 blind-box toys carry a maker age label above 7: Labubu (POP MART: not for under 15) and Beyblade (Hasbro: 8+). Six are labeled 3+ (Barbie, Funko Pop!, Hot Wheels, L.O.L. Surprise!, Magna-Tiles, and Squishmallows), Hatchimals 5+, and LEGO 1½+ for its youngest sets; for Smiski and Sonny Angel, labels vary and we couldn't confirm them on the maker's pages.
- US Google search interest in “blind box” averaged 3.3 in 2022, 22.4 in 2025, and 31.6 in 2026 through October 25, on a relative scale where 100 marks the week with the highest interest (June 21, 2026).
What it means for parents
If your child wants blind boxes, it helps to decide before the store how many, if any, you'll buy, and to count the figures they already have first. Check the age label and the choking warning on the box, and buy from the official maker: the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned that fake Labubus can break into small parts. Duplicates are part of how blind boxes are sold, so agree in advance what happens when one turns up: trade it, give it away, or keep it.
What are blind box toys?
A blind box is a sealed package that holds one item from a set, and you don't know which one you have until you open it. Blind box toys are usually small figures, dolls, or plush toys sold as a numbered series, often with a rarer "secret" or "chase" item that appears less often than the others.
Toy makers use different names for the same idea: blind boxes, blind bags, mystery packs, mystery capsules, surprise eggs, or random boosters. What they share is that the buyer pays first and finds out what they got afterward. Duplicates are common, and some makers say so on the box or the product page.
Prices in our guides, checked in October 2026, range from $4.99 to $14.99. Magna-Tiles Santa & Friends Blind Bags cost $4.99, LEGO Collectible Minifigures $4.99 each, Squishmallows Mystery Capsules $5.99 and Mystery Bags $9.99, L.O.L. Surprise! Tots $11.99 to $14.99, and Funko Pop! Mystery figures $14.99. Separately, NBC News reported that Labubu figures typically cost about $9 to $30.
Blind box toys in our data: what the 23 toys show
Of the 23 toys in the Kids' Media Risk Index, 12 sell at least some items in blind boxes. You can read the evidence for each one in our guides: Barbie, Beyblade, Funko Pop!, Hatchimals, Hot Wheels, L.O.L. Surprise!, Labubu, LEGO, Magna-Tiles, Smiski, Sonny Angel, and Squishmallows.
The flag means different things for different brands. For Sonny Angel, Smiski, and Labubu, the makers' own pages describe blind boxes as the main way the figures are sold, and most L.O.L. Surprise! Tots come in blind packaging. For brands like LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Magna-Tiles, the flag rests on one product line among many: LEGO Collectible Minifigures, Barbie's Mini BarbieLand dolls, Hot Wheels Mystery Models, and Magna-Tiles' holiday blind bags. A family can buy most LEGO or Barbie products without ever opening a blind box.
Eleven toys in the index have no blind-box flag. For Furby, Jellycat, Nerf, Orbeez, Play-Doh, and Tamagotchi, we found no blind boxes. Tonies figures and Yoto cards are sold by title, not at random. Nee Doh packs come in a random color, but we found no blind boxes. For hoverboards and water beads, the flag doesn't apply or wasn't confirmed.
These counts describe 23 popular toys that parents often look up, chosen by us for our Is it good for kids? guides. They don't tell us how common blind boxes are across all toys sold in the US, and a "no" means we didn't find evidence by October 2026. The full list, with evidence for every flag, is in the table below and in the Kids' Media Risk Index.
The 23 toys: blind boxes, resale, age label, choking warning, and recall (Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10)
| Toy | Blind boxes | Resale above retail | Maker age label | Choking warning | Recall | Blind-box evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchimals | yes | yes | 5+ | no | no | Mystery Hatch eggs; blind box reveals |
| Hot Wheels | yes | yes | 3+ | no | no | Mystery Models blind packs (collector sites) |
| Labubu | yes | yes | 15+ | no | no | Blind boxes |
| LEGO | yes | yes | 1½+ | yes | yes | LEGO: some sets a "lucky dip" of toys |
| Barbie | yes | no | 3+ | yes | yes | Mini BarbieLand: random doll (retail listings) |
| Beyblade | yes | no | 8+ | yes | no | Takara Tomy Random Boosters |
| Funko Pop! | yes | no | 3+ | yes | no | Pop! Mystery blind boxes; chase 1 in 72 |
| L.O.L. Surprise! | yes | no | 3+ | yes | no | MGA: random, blind packaging; ultra-rares |
| Magna-Tiles | yes | no | 3+ | yes | no | Santa & Friends Blind Bags, $4.99 |
| Smiski | yes | no | Varies | yes | no | Dreams: random blind boxes; secret figure |
| Sonny Angel | yes | no | Varies | yes | no | Dreams: blind boxes; rarer secret figures |
| Squishmallows | yes | no | 3+ | no | no | Mystery Capsules $5.99, Mystery Bags $9.99 |
| Nee Doh | no | yes | 3+ | yes | no | Random color per pack; no blind boxes found |
| Furby | no | no | 6+ | no | no | No blind boxes found |
| Hoverboards | no | no | Varies | no | yes | Not applicable |
| Jellycat | no | no | Birth+ | no | no | No blind boxes found |
| Nerf | no | no | 8+ | yes | yes | No blind boxes found |
| Orbeez | no | no | 5+ | yes | no | No blind boxes found |
| Play-Doh | no | no | 2+ | no | no | No blind boxes found |
| Tamagotchi | no | no | 6+ | no | no | No blind boxes found |
| Toniebox | no | no | 1+ to 3+ | yes | yes | Figures sold by character; no blind boxes found |
| Water beads | no | no | Varies | yes | yes | Not typical; not confirmed |
| Yoto Player | no | no | 3+ | yes | yes | Cards are specific titles, not random |
"Yes" means we found evidence; "no" means we didn't find it by October 2026. Toniebox: the recall was tonies Blocks, a 2022 product from the same maker, not the Toniebox itself. The CSV adds the evidence for every flag and a link to each toy's guide.
Blind boxes, resale prices, and age labels
Five of the 23 toys have reported resale prices above retail, and four of those five also sell blind boxes. The evidence differs from toy to toy. CBC reported in 2016 that the original $59.99 Hatchimals sold out and were resold online far above retail. The Washington Post reported that limited Hot Wheels collector releases are often relisted on eBay at a premium. NBC News reported that Labubu resale prices are often above retail. A study from HSE University found that resale prices of retired LEGO sets rose about 11% a year, with wide variation. Modern Retail reported resale premiums of more than 400% for Nee Doh on StockX. The evidence differs in strength: a 2016 news report for Hatchimals, a study of price growth for retired LEGO sets, reports of relisted collector releases for Hot Wheels, and news reports of resale prices for Labubu and Nee Doh. A "yes" doesn't mean every item of the brand resells above retail.
This overlap doesn't show that blind boxes cause high resale prices. With 23 toys chosen by us, the data can only describe this list. Some resale markets are for whole sets or retired products rather than single blind-box figures, and we counted the flag only when we found a reported resale price, not just asking prices.
Age labels vary widely among blind box toys. POP MART labels official Labubu products "not suitable for persons under 15," and Hasbro labels Beyblade X tops 8+. Retail listings show 15+ for Smiski, and 3+ to 15+ for Sonny Angel, but we couldn't confirm these on the maker's own pages, so they aren't counted as an age flag. Six blind-box toys in the index are labeled 3+: Barbie, Hot Wheels, Magna-Tiles, and Squishmallows by their makers, and Funko Pop! and L.O.L. Surprise! on retail listings. Hatchimals are labeled 5+ on retail listings. LEGO's youngest sets are 1½+; its Collectible Minifigures, the line sold at random, are labeled 6+.
Small figures often come with choking warnings. Eight of the 12 blind-box toys had a choking or small-parts warning on an official product or retail listing. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission warned in August 2025 that counterfeit Labubus are small enough to fit in a young child's mouth and can break apart into small pieces.
Search interest in blind boxes, 2022–2026
Google Trends shows how search interest in a phrase changes over time, on a relative scale. US search interest in “blind box” was low in 2022 and 2023, rose in 2024, and rose much more in 2025. So far in 2026, the yearly average is the highest of the five years. The single highest week was June 21, 2026, which Google Trends sets to 100. In September and October 2026, weekly values were between 26 and 31.
Interest was higher in December 2024 and December 2025 than in the months before: about 13 in December 2024 and between 36 and 39 in December 2025. The timing may reflect holiday shopping, but search data alone cannot tell us who searched or why.
The rise in 2024 and 2025 overlaps with the Labubu craze, and may partly reflect it. But interest in “blind box” stayed above its 2022–2024 levels in 2026, while Ahrefs estimates that US monthly searches for “labubu” fell by about 98% between September 2025 and September 2026, from about 6.1 million to about 125,000. So the search data don't point to a single brand; many brands now sell blind boxes. “Blind box” is also a broad search term that covers non-toy uses, such as store promotions, so these figures are not a measure of blind box toys bought for children.
US Google search interest in “blind box,” yearly average of weekly values (index, 100 = the week of June 21, 2026)
| Year | Average search interest |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 3.3 |
| 2023 | 4.2 |
| 2024 | 6.8 |
| 2025 | 22.4 |
| 2026 (to October 25) | 31.6 |
Google Trends, United States, web search, past five years, retrieved October 26, 2026. Values are relative and may vary between downloads.
Are blind box toys gambling? What regulators say
China's market regulator has written blind-box rules. We found no US federal rule specific to blind-box toys. The government actions in our index are about product safety: CPSC warnings about counterfeit Labubus, hoverboard fires, and water beads, and a 2009 lead paint penalty involving Mattel. None of them treats blind boxes as gambling.
In June 2023, China's State Administration for Market Regulation issued trial guidelines on blind box sales. They say sellers may not sell blind boxes to children under 8, must confirm a guardian's consent for children 8 and older, must publish key information such as the draw rules and the odds of each item before purchase, and may not use blind boxes to run gambling or disguised gambling.
Related research is mostly about loot boxes in video games, which also sell random items for money. Our Labubu guide describes a 2019 study of 1,155 gamers ages 16 to 18 that linked loot box spending to problem gambling severity. That study was correlational, recruited participants online, and did not include young children or physical toys. We found no research on blind-box toys and children ages 4 to 7.
Blind boxes for kids: what parents can do
Decide before the store. Agree with your child how many boxes, if any, before you walk in: "One box today, and that's it." Saying it once in the car is easier than negotiating at the shelf.
Count what they already have. Before buying the next box, line up the figures they own and count them together. Then decide. It turns the missing one into a choice rather than an emergency.
Read the odds out loud. Funko lists a 1 in 72 chance of a Mystery Chase figure on its Pop! Mystery page. For a 6-year-old, "one in 72" can be shown with counters or blocks: 72 in a pile, one of them a different color.
Check the box. Look at the maker's age label and the choking warning, especially when there are younger siblings at home. Buy from the official maker or a known store; the CPSC suggests checking Labubus for a holographic POP MART sticker and a QR code.
Plan for duplicates. Many makers say duplicates are possible. Before opening, agree on what happens if one turns up: trade with a friend or sibling, give it away, or keep it.
Offer a wait. If your child wants a new box right now, write it down or draw it, and look at the note together on a set day. Some children still want it later; others forget about it.
Show the data as a table
| Flag | Toys with the flag (of 23) |
|---|---|
| Choking or small-parts warning | 14 of 23 |
| Blind boxes (paid random items) | 12 of 23 |
| Recall of the official product | 7 of 23 |
| Resale prices above retail | 5 of 23 |
| Maker age label above 7 | 4 of 23 |
| Government lawsuits, fines, or safety warnings | 4 of 23 |
Source and method
Source: Martiushin, A. (2026). Raising Stoics Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10 edition [Data set]. Zenodo. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23619163. License: CC BY 4.0, Raising Stoics.
Data: Raising Stoics Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10 edition, data frozen October 18, 2026, published on Zenodo under CC BY 4.0 (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23619163). We used the 23 titles with the toy flag set. Each toy has six yes-or-no flags, each with a short evidence note. A flag is set only when we found evidence: maker product pages, retail listings when the maker's page didn't show the information, CPSC recall and warning notices, and news reports for resale prices. "No" means we found no evidence as of October 2026, not that the toy lacks the feature. The blind box flag counts a toy if at least one of its product lines is sold so the buyer can't choose or see the item; for several brands that is one line among many. The resale flag needs a reported resale price above retail; asking prices alone were not counted (Jellycat, Sonny Angel). The age flag uses the maker's own label; labels seen only on retail listings and not confirmed (Smiski, Sonny Angel) were not counted. Hoverboards and Water beads are product categories, not single products, and their flags cover the category. Toniebox's recall flag, as published, comes from the 2022 recall of tonies Blocks, another product from the same maker. Toy guides added to our directory after the data were frozen are not in this edition. The 23 toys are popular toys that parents often look up, chosen by us; they are not a random or complete sample, and counts describe this list only. Search interest: Google Trends, United States, web search, “blind box,” past five years, weekly, retrieved October 26, 2026. Values are relative, not counts: 100 marks the week with the highest relative search interest (June 21, 2026). They come from a sample and may vary between downloads. Yearly figures are averages of weekly values; 2026 runs through October 25.
Download the data (CSV) Each toy, with evidence (CSV) Search interest by year (CSV)
FAQ
What is a blind box?
A blind box is a sealed package with one item from a set inside, and you only find out which item you got after you open it. Toy makers also call them blind bags, mystery packs, or mystery capsules. Many series include a rarer "secret" or "chase" item, and duplicates are common. Sonny Angel, Smiski, L.O.L. Surprise! Tots, and Labubu are mostly sold this way.
What to do with opened blind boxes?
Families can reuse the empty boxes for storage of small figures, as display shelves, or for crafts like a mini diorama. Duplicate figures can be traded with friends or siblings, or given away. The cards that list the series are useful for keeping track of what a child already has. Check local recycling rules for the boxes and foil wrappers.
Are blind boxes gambling?
China's market regulator has written blind-box rules. Its trial guidelines, issued in 2023, say sellers may not sell blind boxes to children under 8, must publish the odds, and may not use blind boxes for gambling or disguised gambling. We found no US federal rule specific to blind-box toys. Research on similar loot boxes in video games has studied teenagers and adults, not young children.
Are blind boxes for kids?
It depends on the product. Of the 12 blind-box toys in our data, six are labeled 3+ (Barbie, Funko Pop!, Hot Wheels, L.O.L. Surprise!, Magna-Tiles, and Squishmallows). The others range from 1½+ (LEGO) to 15+ (Labubu), or labels vary (Smiski, Sonny Angel). Many small figures carry a choking warning for children under 3. Check the maker's age label on each box.
How much do blind boxes cost?
In our guides, checked in October 2026, prices ranged from $4.99 for Magna-Tiles Blind Bags and LEGO Collectible Minifigures to $14.99 for Funko Pop! Mystery figures and L.O.L. Surprise! Tots. NBC News reported that Labubu figures typically cost about $9 to $30. Rare figures can sell for much more on resale sites.
One lesson in our program is "Enough": noticing what's already here, before the next box.
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