How a Smiling, Naked Angel Figurine Took the Collecting World by Storm
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Carla Alicia Jones, a digital creator in California, was already a collector of cute trinkets like Funko Pops and anime figures when someone gifted her a Sonny Angel — her first. “I automatically wanted more since I didn’t get the one I wanted in the blind box,” she says. “It’s so addicting.”
Around a year later, Carla’s Sonny Angel collection has more than 100 figures, including two complete series, and she runs the Instagram @SweetSonnyAngelz. “Sonny Angels are the next cabbage Patch Kid,” she says. “You can dress them up, take them anywhere and collect so many. There’s a design for everyone!”
Carla isn’t the only one taken in by Sonny, a cherubic-looking angel with small wings and big eyes who wears different cute headgear — and nothing on bottom. He’s taken over TikTok, has more than 600,000 posts on Instagram and has even been the subject of a sketch on Saturday Night Live.
Just one question remains: What — or who? — is Sonny Angel?
Sonny Angel Is the World's Emotional Support Figure
Sonny Angel may seem like he’s only popped onto the scene in the last couple of years, but this year actually marks the brand’s 20th anniversary. He was created in 2004 by Japanese toymaker Toru Soeya (whose nickname is, incidentally, Sonny). “Toru's a real creative, and he's always been inspired by dolls in general,” says Jackie Bonheim, Director of Marketing at Dreams USA, Inc., which distributes Sonny Angels in the United States.
Soeya was inspired by the Kewpie Doll in particular, and wanted to come up with an adorable character of his own. He wanted to evoke something innocent and wholesome, so he came up with the child with angel wings, a slight smile and big eyes that gaze toward the side. Even the nudity is supposed to be a sign of his innocence. “He's supposed to be a cherub,” Jackie says. “I guess when you think of Cupid, we always stylize him with a little ribbon or something, but Toru Soeya let Sonny Angel just kind of be himself, and I think he's so wholesome and cute.”
Sonny is designed to pass on those warm, uplifting feelings: It says, “He may bring you happiness,” right on the box. “One of our old catchphrases was that he is a boyfriend for young working women — which I think the term ‘boyfriend’ may be different in translation,” Jackie says. “I don't think it's in the literal sense, because of course he's a baby. So I think it's more like a companion or maybe, or more like an emotional support item.”
One thing to note: Sonny Angel is one character, like Hello Kitty. “It comes up from time to time, because people ask about why there aren’t different skin tones, and we’re sensitive to that,” Jackie says. “But he's just one little boy, and he wears different outfits.”
Word Spread About Sonny Angel All on Its Own
One little boy with different outfits — that’s really all he’s been. The first Sonny Angel dolls started off a little bigger, but they settled on the three-inch-tall, collectible blind boxes and don't deviate too much from that. There are also Hippers, which are flat Sonny Angels that can stick to a cell phone, and other accessories, like a tote bag that lets collectors display some of their favorites.
Blind Box Animal Series 3
Hippers Looking Back Series
My Crew Tote Bag
But Sonny Angel managed to amass a huge following without really moving beyond its core, collectible series. There’s no movie or TV series tie-ins — how could there be, given his state of undress? — no big collaborations with other manufacturers, and no housewares collections or Loungefly backpacks in the works.
Sonny Angel, then, remains a word-of-mouth sensation. “I know there are a lot of blind boxes out there right now, but I think Sonny Angel is popular because of social media,” says Danielle, the content creator behind @sonnyangelgallery on Instagram and whose own personal collection is somewhere in the 300 to 320 range. “There are a lot of social media accounts that share pictures and videos of Sonny Angels which I think creates buzz or curiosity from others.”
“You can film yourself and your friends unboxing and film your reactions and you know it's your real reaction to what's happening,” Jackie says. “There's something special about getting an experience and not just an item. You remember how you felt or where you were the day that you bought it and opened it, as opposed to when I buy my jeans online, when I was probably on the couch, and then I open exactly what I bought, and it’s no fun.”
And 2022, the year when the popularity of Sonny Angel exploded, was the perfect time to make that experience a runaway hit on social media. Coming out of the pandemic, people were looking for something comforting and positive to collect — like a smiling "emotional support” cherub. That’s also when we saw the rise of the “kidult,” or adults who spend their money on more fun, childlike things. (The Toy Association reported that kidults were the biggest driver of growth in the toy industry in 2023.) That age group is right in the sweet spot for the Sonny Angel collector, which appeals most to young professionals.
Of course, not all of the social media attention is positive attention. Some people take to TikTok just to talk about how off-putting they think Sonny Angels are. The nudity is usually the sticking point, though others find the permanent side-eye to also be creepy. "I think that Sonny Angels are weird and you're really weird if you collect them," says TikTok user Cristina Carmella in one video, where she compares the figures to the controversial logo for Coppertone sunscreen. The video was viewed more than 1.2 million times, and has more than 118,000 likes. Other complaints are your more typical collector woes, including how expensive they are, how quickly the limited series sell out and how there are fakes on the market that can be hard to spot. Then again, when it comes to collectibles, is there really such a thing as bad social media attention? All it does is show that Sonny Angel is something worth talking about.
The Chase Is Part of the Draw
Sonny Angel may not have new collaborations or product debuts for collectors, but it is constantly coming out with new series. It seems every collector has that one item that they’re chasing, which is another reason to collect more blind boxes, watch more unboxing videos and event attend IRL swaps with other fans.
“Right now, I need Ant Baby from the Afternoon Tea Series,” Carla says. “Unfortunately I didn’t start collecting soon enough to be able to order an Afternoon Tea blind box from the website, and because they’re limited I can only get them by second-hand trading or selling. The only problem is, because there is a limited supply, they go for over 100 dollars, and I’m just not ready to make a commitment like that. I’ve seen a few of the babies from that series at meetups that I go to and host, but I have to be willing to trade a baby of the same value.”
“One of my personal favorites is the Peanut Secret Sonny Angel from the Donna Wilson Creature Series,” Danielle says. “I feel very lucky to have pulled it from a blind box. It's one of the most sought after Sonny Angel right now and can cost hundreds!”
This kind of exclusivity is by design. “We do six special series and those will be released and then discontinued,” Jackie says. “So, for example, we had the Christmas Dinner Series just come out. And then once that's sold out, it'll be gone. And next year will be a totally different Christmas series. We feel like it makes every new series very special.”
Jackie offered to send me my first Sonny Angel. I really wanted one from the Christmas Dinner Series, but in the moment I was too shy to ask. I thought it might be rude to ask for a limited series, or that they wouldn’t have any in the office to send, and I would make things awkward by requesting a figure she couldn’t provide.
But when my package arrived, it contained a pink hexagonal box decorated with images of festive ribbons — the Christmas Dinner Series packaging. I hastily unboxed my first Sonny Angel — Owl, wearing a Santa hat decorated with holly and holding a golden goblet — and I did feel a spark of excitement. Without really trying, I successfully completed my first “chase.” Sonny Angel did bring me happiness, or at least a little thrill.
Something else Jackie didn’t mention during our conversation: He’s a little bit heavy (not derogatory). As the mom of a 9-year-old, I’m no stranger to blind-box collectibles. The Sonny Angel feels more substantial than a lot of them. If I were to keep mine on me at all times, like a real pocket boyfriend, I would be able to feel the weight of him all day. For now, he’s got a spot on my desk in my home office, where he can smile and watch me type.
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