By Denisse Linares and Shyan Chapman
Sophomore Nini Gamezardashvili has a collection of five Sonny Angels and loves them.
“I think many people have this doll for the same reason,” said Gamezardashvili. “I probably do because of how cute they look.”
She is not alone. Sonny Angels, collectable Japanese figurines that are each designed differently, have experienced a boom in popularity in the last few years.
As of March 2024, there are about 521,000 posts under #SonnyAngel on Instagram. Many Sonny Angel collectors, including Gamezardashvili, spend their free time searching stores for new dolls.
“Me and my friends are leaving on Friday out to the city to get some more,” said Gamezardashvili about her burgeoning collection.
Many Sonny Angels come in mystery boxes, creating surprise and excitement when people open up their new dolls.
“They make me happy because I love the tension of pulling mystery boxes because you don’t know which ones you can get,” said senior Jenny Lin, “and it’s really fun.”
Lin also said that she appreciated the cute variations available in Sonny Angels.
“I think my favorite part is probably the accessories and the different series they have, such as fruits, animals, Valentines, and Christmas,” said the senior. “I have 7 as of right now, I am a small collector.”
The dolls were conceptualized by Toru Soeya, CEO of Japanese company Dreams, who intended to market the doll to young women. Since then, the dolls have experienced monumental success with a variety of age groups around the world.
For many Sonny Angels owners, the idea of building a collection of the dolls has great appeal.
“I think I like Sonny Angels because it became like a new trend to collect them, also I think the wings on the back makes the figure really unique,” said Lin. “I’m a collector of small figurines so I think Sonny Angels build up my collection.”.
Not everyone loves Sonny Angels as much as Lin and Gamezardashvili, though.
“They are alright but I wouldn’t be crazy about them and collect them like some people are doing,” sophomore Mirella Tenezaza stated .“Plus they look so creepy. Like they aren’t even cute, just weird looking.”
Featured Image: An Amazon promotion for a special line of Sonny Angels.
The Murrow Network 