Week 149: MINISO

Week 149: November 2nd-8th, 2025

In a world run by Sanrio, Labubu, Smiski, Sonny Angels and more, it makes perfect sense that a MINISO would open at Mission Valley mall.

For those that are not in the know, (or not "knowers" as I like to call it) MINISO is a retailer that offers goods, cosmetics, stationery, toys, and electronics. The company often has collaborations with popular intellectual property franchises like Disney, Sanrio, and Marvel. According to Google, MINISO was founded in China in 2013 by Ye Guofu, and the company now has a worldwide presence with thousands of stores in over 100 countries. The vibe of the store is very similar to other Asian companies like DAISO, where everything is very organized and clean, though I think DAISO carries more household items and practical goods than MINISO does. As far as practicality goes, collectibles and blind boxes are not at the top of the list.

The world of blind box collectibles and limited edition collaborations is huge. A "blind box" is a sealed package that usually includes a mystery collectible (like a toy, trinket, or figurine) from a themed series. The object inside the box is hidden until you buy the box and open it. All of the packaging is identical on the outside, so the appeal comes from the surprise element of potentially getting a rare variant

Even before the POP MART Labubu era, blind boxes were a massive trend, especially for cute figurines and seemingly pointless objects that do little except make you smile. But, as MINISO's tagline says, "Life is for fun," and what is more fun than plushies and cute character trinkets? In my opinion, not much.

I've always been a bit of a collector. Growing up, I was very proud of the large collection of stuffed animals I acquired over the years, or my massive army of Barbie, Bratz, and MyScene dolls. The hoard of Littlest Pet Shop animals I had was truly impressive.

Even if I don't play with toys like I did when I was a kid, I still love a good tchotchke. They bring me joy, and life is too short to not be joyful. Even in video games, I am a completionist when it comes to collectibles, and will amass great amounts of in-game wealth and rare items like a dragon hoarding treasure in a cave.

My collections in real life have gotten smaller now. I was not an active participant in the Sonny Angels, Smiski or now, Labubu, collection eras, but I appreciate them greatly. So, when a MINISO finally opened in Mission Valley, I had to go check it out.

I got to the mall a little early before most stores opened, so I sat in the air conditioned car and signed up for MINISO rewards in anticipation of future purchases.

When the mall finally opened, I headed inside. Mission Valley mall is getting a "facelift," so I navigated through the construction site and "Excuse our dust" signs to get to MINISO.

With upcoming birthday gifts and holiday shopping in mind, I browsed the colorful shelves and admired the variety of items on offer.

There were entire shelves of popular characters from Sanrio, like Hello Kitty and Keroppi, and other brands like Miffy, Bandai Namco, Capybara and more.

I browsed the entire store and felt like I could've stayed longer, but I had stuff to do (like groceries and writing this post!) so I got a few keychains, some mini Lego-like building sets for plants, and a Miffy phone holder for an upcoming birthday gift. I would have gotten more if I was feeling impulsive or in need of a little retail therapy, but this trip was strictly business. I was fulfilling my "Something New" while getting gifts for people and and checking out the new MINISO shop.

If any of you end up receiving these as gifts, act surprised!

I had to spend a bit longer in the store than I intended because there was only one person working. I felt really bad for the cashier, because the party in front of me in line was giving her a hard time about an item being listed as $5 but coming out to $8.34 after tax. I'm sure it was just an error in the system that she couldn't fix, but I waited in line for like 20 minutes while she was getting more and more frantic trying to fix the problem for the customer. She even got the store manager on the phone and walked her through which buttons she was clicking to no avail. Finally, the customer just gave up on the $5 but not actually $5 item, got the other items that were ringing up properly, and left.

These are likely just growing pains from being a freshly open store and some items not being catalogued right in the system, but it was still painful to witness. I assured her she handled it well and said it wasn't her fault that the system was being silly. I did take extra care when I was double checking my receipt as I left though, just to make sure. Thankfully, nothing was overcharged. I was actually shocked that the little DIY potted plant build kits were only $1.99 each before tax.

Anyway, I think as a society, especially in these uncertain political times, it is important to find whimsy in what we can. If that manifests as silly little dolls and keychains, so be it.

See you next week.