Designer toys: a beginner guide

What designer toys are

Artist-designed figures, made in small runs.

A designer toy starts with a character and an artist, not a movie or a TV show. The character gets a series of figures, the series gets a limited run, and collectors buy the figures to display, trade, or complete a set. The cute collectibles on this site are one corner of designer toys: Labubu from Pop Mart, Sonny Angel from Dreams, Smiski, Sanrio characters, Jellycat plush, and Disney Doorables. The same ideas apply to the rest of the hobby: small runs, fixed rosters, and resale prices that move with demand.

Blind boxes and chase figures

The sealed box is the game, and the chase figure is the prize.

A blind box hides which figure is inside. Regular figures in a series have roughly even odds, and one figure in most series is the chase: a secret, special edition, or limited edition figure with long odds. Cutie Index tracks 240 chase figures across all brands. The chase is what makes a sealed box worth more than the figure inside it, and it is what drives the resale market. A regular figure usually resells near retail. A chase figure can resell for many times retail, as long as the series stays popular. See the rarest figures page for the full chase list, ranked by resale markup.

The main makers on Cutie Index

Six brands, one database.

These are the brands Cutie Index tracks, with figure counts and series counts from the database. Pop Mart makes Labubu. Dreams makes Sonny Angel. The rest are Smiski, Sanrio, Jellycat, and Disney Doorables. Each brand has its own price guide linked in the table.

How collecting works

Series, sets, trades, and shelves.

Collecting designer toys means following series. Each series has a fixed roster, and the goal for most collectors is to complete the set, secret included. Collectors trade duplicates, buy the missing figures on the resale market, and track what they own. Cutie Index has a My Collection page that does exactly that: check off the figures you own and see your completion and estimated resale value. Displaying matters too. These are shelf figures, and the display is half the hobby.

How to start without overpaying

Retail first, resale second, fakes never.

Buy at retail whenever you can. A blind box at retail is the cheapest way into a series, and a restock can cut a resale price in half overnight. Before you pay a resale price, check the typical resale range on the figure's page here. If the asking price is far above the top of the range, walk away or wait for a restock. Never pay a secret price for a regular figure, and never buy a figure you have not checked against the official roster. Read how to spot a fake before your first resale purchase, and see how to buy blind boxes for the sealed-box basics.

Frequently asked questions

What is a designer toy?

A designer toy is a figure designed by an artist or a studio and made in small runs, usually as vinyl figures or plush. Labubu, Sonny Angel, Smiski, and Disney Doorables are all designer toys, and they are sold as blind boxes, open stock, or both.

What is a chase figure?

A chase figure is a rare figure hidden in a series, usually a secret, special edition, or limited edition. Chase figures have long odds and sell for far more than regular figures from the same series. Cutie Index lists them on the rarest figures page.

What is a blind box?

A blind box is a sealed box with one random figure inside from a fixed series. You do not know which figure you got until you open it. Regular figures have even odds, and the secret figure has long odds, which is what makes opening boxes fun and what drives the resale market.

How much money do I need to start collecting designer toys?

One blind box is enough to start. Most boxes on Cutie Index retail between about $12 and $40, depending on the brand. Buy at retail first, check the typical resale range before paying a resale price, and set a budget before you open your first box.