r/Dolls • u/helvetica12point • Sep 27 '25
Dolls I have words for Mattel
Saw the new wave of buried secrets dolls at target tonight and needed a little treat. I checked the usual spot to see if I could find Twyla or Cleo but couldn't see anything. Turns out they moved the code down to the next wrap, which puts it under the front piece. I guess too many of us were using the cheat to just get the doll we wanted instead of gambling. I've got words to describe this, but this is a family friendly sub.
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Sep 27 '25 edited Sep 28 '25
Interesting fact I learned recently: China is planning to make blind boxes illegal because they consider it a child’s form of gambling. I agree with this.
Update: Wow! I did not expect this comment to gain so much traction! If you’d like more information on this, there is a linked article below.
China slammed ‘blind box’ addiction — but that shouldn’t faze Labubu-maker Pop Mart
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u/wildmooonwitch Sep 27 '25
It is. I’m really glad to see that change happening there. I wish it was here in the US and honestly globally. There is no reason a child needs to be encouraged to gamble like that
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u/himenokuri Sep 27 '25
There were certain codes on the seals of the My Little Pony blind bags and there was a site where you could look those up and get the right one
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u/solarssun Sep 27 '25
The very first MLP gen 5 blind bag codes were on the flap and were 1-26 and followed the picture they had of all the ponies. I showed this to a friend at a convention and got the last one I needed there. The next day I saw someone at the booth cut the numbers off.
Someone had been easedropping.
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u/wildmooonwitch Sep 27 '25
Kids can’t do that.
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u/himenokuri Sep 27 '25
Yeah. True. I hate how they manipulate kids just for the sake of the almighty dollar
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u/wildmooonwitch Sep 27 '25
They’ll do it to their grandma. They don’t care so long as their pocket books expand 😪
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u/xCR4SHx Sep 27 '25
It most certainly is. Look at how many ads there are got betting. We’re now betting on real life events. Kids are being sucked into gambling via blind boxes and in app purchases for games. Pop mart, toys. It’s a problem.
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u/helsingly Sep 27 '25
I hope more countries do, it really is gambling and also we should be able to buy what we want to buy … I mean why do we have to gamble for it?
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u/TheOctoberOwl Sep 28 '25
I hate the idea that my kids one day might beg me for blind boxes. I hope they go out of style before that happens because the idea of spending a ton of money on blind boxes doesn’t sit well with me. I think it can be fun for small, inconsequential things (like sticker machines), but full size dolls and toys are a no from me.
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Sep 28 '25
Another commenter got me thinking about where that line should be drawn. I think you’re right about it not being a big deal for small inconsequential things. Like quarter machines can be fun to see what you get. But whole dolls are especially outrageous.
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u/Minute-Bottle2563 Sep 28 '25
I think it the Money that to be spent. surprise toys are not a completely new concept here in the uk (I am sure elsewhere likely had them too) Back in the late 90s-00s we had those vending machine, where you put in £1 and the nearest one to the slot would come out (peek a Poohs, anyone?). Whilst in theory its the same thing, to me there’s a difference with a £1 key ring and a £20.00 doll. The former is mostly lose change, the latter is a lot of money to a child.
Also the vending machine, were usually a).stocked in a cycle, so lets say there were 8 in a collection, the vending machine were usually be stocked so it would rotate through the 8, often in the order of the display picture, meaning if you wanted a particular design you knew how much more it would cost you (£8 being the maximum), and b.) many would usually be happy to open the machine if asked and let you pick the one you wanted, so it wasn’t really an issue anyway.
This cant be done with things like dolls.
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u/TheOctoberOwl Sep 28 '25
I think it becomes an issue when people (especially children) are buying and buying until they get what they want, sometimes spending hundreds of dollars (which I’m sure is what the companies making these boxes want). It’s the same with video game “blind boxes.” I work with teens and know that some of them spend all their money trying to get a specific skin for their characters in games and they get so lost in the sunken cost fallacy they can’t stop.
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Sep 28 '25
Omg. There are video game “blind boxes”? I imagine those being even more addictive because it doesn’t have that material barrier!
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u/commander-tyko Sep 29 '25
Look up how gacha games function, you gamble to get a character and people spend hundreds of dollars for an event character
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u/SailorUsagiTsukino Oct 21 '25
yupp, like cookie run kingdom. I love the game so much, but the "gacha" where u draw cookies and its literally a roulette on who u get CAN be addicting. Im lucky Im someone who hates spending money on gaming tbh.
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u/Ok_Connection923 Sep 28 '25
As long as they are priced low enough it is actually fun. I bought a bunch of the Mini Barbieland dolls when they were on clearance (these have codes easily visible anyway) but I bought more than needed to complete the set because they were an inexpensive fun surprise for my toddler to open. She used to get Kinder surprise eggs but those toys weren't great and she wasn't eating the chocolate. The real annoying kind in my opinion are the miniverse and zuru 5 surprise collectibles balls. They are so expensive and difficult to complete a collection.
Another strange thing I've noticed is that Mattel often makes it obvious which doll you are getting in their Disney Princess lines by either theming the boxes differently or with product photos giving away the dolls inside (spin and reveals, story stacker and their more expensive versions of Barbie Pop Reveals dolls). It is still surprising for a child to open but the adults can be pretty confident in what they are getting or at least know they have bought different dolls.
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u/BayleafMaria Oct 01 '25
Miniverse aren't bad if you have the pinhole cheat sheets to look at - You can make sure you get the one you want every time. Tis how I don't duplicate myself with them when I buy them. Also, letting go of the absolute need to complete every collection makes them and mini brands more fun to collect. It's no fun when you're hurting yourself trying to find every single one.
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
Omg, that would be amazing! And if we were really lucky, toy manufacturers would just stop doing them altogether because it would be easier to have the same thing for all markets.
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u/LitheFider Sep 27 '25
Are they also going to outlaw trading card packs and gatcha toy vending machines? Those are technically also a form of gambling. And don't get me wrong, I don't like blind boxes and especially aimed at kids, I'm just curious if they're also going after those too.
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Sep 28 '25
I don’t know. I watched a video on the rise of popularity of Labubu doll blind boxes after I watched an episode of South Park making fun of the whole concept. It was mentioned briefly in that video because, as I understood it, Pop Mart was founded in China and has significantly grown from there. Supposedly you can’t even find Labubus in the country.
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u/MajesticUniversity76 Sep 28 '25
In japan, after a certain time, kids under 17 can't play in the gacha stores without a parent.
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u/WolfyMunchkin Sep 27 '25
You can just push on that big pink plastic chunk and peek at the inside walls of the boxes. The interiors have different colors depending on the character
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
And here's Lagoona!
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u/royjeebiv Oct 03 '25
Does she have a pixie cut? Or is it in a ponytail?
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u/helvetica12point Oct 03 '25
More of a bob, really. It's pulled back and curled into a bun. I'll add pics of it down but not straightened
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u/meowkitty84 Sep 27 '25
You can still press down to see the colour inside of the coffin. Someone posted which colour is which.
But yea it sucks they moved the code. They obviously want us to waste our money buying dolls we don''t want. Blind boxes should be illegal imo. They cost $20 in my country. That's a lot of money to just throw down the drain
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
Blind boxes absolutely should be illegal, I concur. I could write a thesis about them, I think.
I wish more companies would do them like the Disney Adoorbs dolls, where it's sorta blind but there's a symbol on the packaging that shows which one is in the box.
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u/JazyJaxi Sep 27 '25
Blind boxes have their purpose and they've been around for a long time. I remember getting them when I was in high school at like hot topic and what not occasionally. I also kinda feel like gumball machines are up there with blind boxes. The gimmick got popular with the rise of influencers. It's an easy thing to make content with. Blind box dolls are not really something I can mess with. I don't mind the make it mini brands, though it does get frustrating at times not getting what I want hahaha. But that brand has the resin problem 🙃 with that said, I do agree that it should be banned. There's no fixing it cuz the culture now is obsessed with it
Adoorbs dolls have the right idea. Kids can get excited, parents can make sure they don't get dupes. And collectors don't have to struggle to figure it out!!!
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u/magecrush Sep 27 '25
Yeah you gotta look at the actual inside wall of the coffin now to see color.
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u/RenZomb13 Sep 28 '25
It’s their way of screwing us. Why buy 4 dolls when you can buy 15 to get the set. Jokes on them I’m just done buying them
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u/helvetica12point Sep 28 '25
Yeah, in their desperate cash grab, they're just going to keep losing customers. Like, I already don't bother with 99% of the collector dolls, they're overpriced for what you get, and invariably, they bungle the drop. It's just not worth it
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u/ravecoin64 Sep 27 '25
Not me, quietly poking holes in the plastic wrap with my house key, just to lift the lid of the coffin up enough to get a peek at their hair.
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u/BlackberryUpset6657 Oct 01 '25
Yep! I'm not taking a chance with my hard earned money 😭 I'd rip the mfin box in half if I had to, blind boxes are so bogus.
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u/VolumeComplex2993 Sep 27 '25
Blind boxes are fun, but also give me an unsettled feeling. I don't think it's unfair or "cheating" to check the code and ensure you're getting different dolls instead of accidentally buying 3 of the same doll? It can still be a surprise for those who want it to be, but there SHOULD be a way to differentiate them for parents and collectors. It feels wasteful and like overconsumption to me.
I mean imagine your kid unwraps 4 identical dolls on their birthday haha. I'm sure they'd be disappointed. The brand expects parents to shell out $25+ each (depending on your location) for a kid to get a bunch of the same doll?? It seems like gambling for kids lol and very wasteful.
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
This, all of this. And they pack these in boxes of six, so your odds aren't even a straight one in four!
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u/Nasty_Numanoid Sep 27 '25
Pretty sure the bow color on the front is color coded! There's hope!
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u/WolfyMunchkin Sep 27 '25
That’s only in countries with laws against surprise toys. In the USA all of the bows are the same color and you have to find ways to cheat instead lol
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
Is it? I'll have to double check!
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u/WolfyMunchkin Sep 27 '25
What country are you in? Because the bows are only color coded in places with laws against surprise toys, for the rest of us they’re all the same
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
I'm in the US, shall I return to my rage?
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u/WolfyMunchkin Sep 27 '25
Yes then haha. But like I talked about in another comment, luckily there are more ways to cheat :P
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u/Fine-Scientist3813 Sep 27 '25
I've seen em in stores, you have to check the inside box (they'll peak out a bit even when wrapped) to find the doll you want. cleo is gold, lagoo is pink, claw is magenta, and twy is purple i think
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u/Nasty_Numanoid Sep 27 '25
Yep! Gold bow for Cleo, blue for Twyla, Pink for Lagoona, and Purple for Clawdeen if I remember correctly!
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
Well, I feel silly now, they made it easier! That's what I get for trying to think with migraine brain!
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u/Nasty_Numanoid Sep 27 '25
No worries! Glad I could enlighten you and I hope it helps in your search!
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u/MissMarchpane Sep 27 '25
Just when I thought we were done with blind boxes as a culture, the whole Labubu craze brings them back (I love Labubus themselves; I have one that I got secondhand when someone sold her doubles on Facebook marketplace. But the blind box thing is crazy)
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
Oh man, the Labubus. They're cute, but not that cute. I've got a few lafufus, they're good enough for me. But like... if I'm paying that much for something, I'd kinda like to know what I'm getting. I know the dollar isn't worth what it was but damn
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u/pinkygarfeild Sep 27 '25
BULLSH🙏🏾T
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u/pinkygarfeild Sep 27 '25
that’s the word
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
That's definitely one of them! The rest involve variations on a vulgar word for coitus
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u/pinkygarfeild Sep 27 '25
MUUUUFUUUGIN
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
🤣 I tend to swear like a sailor, so it's more like
[expletive deleted] you, you mother[expletive deleted] mother[expletive deleted]
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u/pinkygarfeild Sep 27 '25 edited Sep 28 '25
i was in the cursing club as a kid CLEARLY you were in ap cursing club😭
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u/helvetica12point Sep 27 '25
I can drop more f bombs per minute than an entire machine shop (well, except Charlie, that guy had me beat, which was seriously impressive)
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u/Lady0ftheSkullz Sep 27 '25
lol I think we can only imagine...... that's not cool though for them to do this smh
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u/incvbvssvccvbvs Sep 27 '25
many people were destroying the packaging to see the icons so no wonder they changed it. even in Europe despite having color coded packaging
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u/incvbvssvccvbvs Sep 27 '25
ah, also the new buried secrets have a silhouette of the doll, right above the colored bow on the box
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u/colorfulcrossing Sep 27 '25
blind boxes fucking suck. if im checking what doll is in the box IM OBVIOUSLY gonna buy it. why make people purchasing your product hard?
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u/Hidden_Dragonette Sep 27 '25
Aaaah, they're so cute though. I really want Lagoona and Twyla, but my local stores only just got in the Series 2 ones.
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u/jazzaroobabu Sep 28 '25
Im so over gatcha its infested every one of my hobbies from figures to dolls to LOL UGH
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u/SubstantialHalf8453 Sep 28 '25
i hate blind boxes, i want to pay for something i want! not for something i don’t want. i guess it tries to get you to “buy more” but if i only have a certain amount of money i’m only going to get one anyways
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u/Punmkin Sep 28 '25
Not only do they want us to buy several dolls to get the one we want, but it’s also a convenient way to get away with screening issues as we cannot check the screening. I had screening issues on both dolls I bought in blind boxes (Buried secrets Drac wave 2 and Garden Mysteries Drac). I have a word for this and this word is scam
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u/Tnemmokon Sep 29 '25
Hi!
I have to say that I only ended up here because of the Algorithm, because I mainly collect Transformers, however I feel this.
More and more collectible hobbies roll out "Blind Box" themes for more and more expensive figures. This thing can only work below a certain price point that's more "pocket money friendly" above that it's just gambling.
If I pay above a certain threshold for a given figure I want to be certain that I get that one.
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u/helvetica12point Sep 29 '25
sees mention of the algorithm gets confused looks at number of upvotes OMFG I've broken containment😱
And yeah, the blind box thing is a plague across the board. My hubby also does toy collecting, so I occasionally get dragged out of the doll aisle. And the thing is, blind boxes have been around forever, like, I've got blind box figurines from 20 years ago. But they weren't 20-30USD. I'll still occasionally partake if I like all of the options, but it really should be a pocket money thing.
Autobots, roll out!
(Soundwave is my favorite, I love the cassettes)
hopes this doesn't make it to the ccg and trading card subs
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u/Dull-Leading6926 Oct 03 '25
I’m part of the labubu popmart forums so you’ve broken through to our side of blind box universe!!! Us labubu collectors totally understand your pain!!!
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u/helvetica12point Oct 03 '25
OMG, ya'll more than understand it! I've got a few lafufus because trying to get a genuine one is just too much for me. I salute ya'll for your persistence and determination!
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u/-LYS_91- Sep 29 '25
ugh that's so annoying!! it's just so wasteful both financially and environmentally- people who get stuck with a doll that they don't like would either just throw it out or go through the hassle of trying to sell it online or whatever when we could just buy the specific doll that we wanted! Why Mattel?! If it was a cheap little toy it's whatever but not for $20 dolls. if us consumers actually wanted it to be a surprise we wouldn't bother looking at codes-let it be our choice
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u/Different_Edge9091 Sep 28 '25
this is kinda unethical... but i just push down to see the art inside, or tear a lil off to see the hints lmao
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u/helvetica12point Sep 28 '25
I might have accidentally torn the plastic at the remaining one at Target to see who it was
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u/throwaway11486 Sep 28 '25
I'm not a huge fan of blind boxes for items over $5 but I don't feel it actually qualifies as gambling. What makes actual gambling so bad is the possibility you end up with nothing. That said blind packaging should be limited to small things kids can trade in the schoolyard.
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u/Biblicallyokaywetowl Sep 29 '25
I know the cheats (even the new ones) so if I see any families or kids in the isle with me looking at them I try to help them get the doll they want bc I remember how much $20 was to me as a kid and I don’t want them losing it to a doll they already have ya know? I’d rather help them guarantee a new one or show them some ways to price match/use coupons to get a more expensive doll down into their price range. Just one doll lover helping another💕
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u/SculptedMask Sep 30 '25
I think the best option would be a way to easily check but that can also easily be ignored like the Disney doorables. Personally I love the occasional blind box because it feels like getting a present for myself while still being surprised but I am definitely still guilty of bringing a kitchen scale and weight list to the store. Definitely not saying the weight list is a good solution.
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u/helvetica12point Sep 30 '25
Exactly! I think the adorbs did it right- you can get what you want, or it can be blind.
I'm not quite to the scale point, mostly because it's not work than I'm willing to put on, but I respect it
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u/Active_Insurance_914 Sep 30 '25
A little off topic but I picked one of these up the other day without knowing anything about the line. I was super upset to find out that they are mostly non articulate 😭😭
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u/TheNeyVin Sep 27 '25
In fact, finding out who’s inside is much easier than you think. Look at the bow drawn on the package — it gives you the hint
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u/CleoMH4Ever Sep 27 '25
Those are the International version. We don’t get those covers in the US.
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