Pandora's Box Operation Logic Analysis of China's Blind Box Industry - Pop Mart

Zuochen Lu

doi:10.54254/2753-7048/2025.KM26160

Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public MediaOpen access

Pandora's Box Operation Logic Analysis of China's Blind Box Industry - Pop Mart

Research Article

Open Access

Pandora's Box Operation Logic Analysis of China's Blind Box Industry - Pop Mart

Zuochen Lu ^1*

¹ University of Toronto

^*Corresponding author: zuochen.lu@mail.utoronto.ca

Published on 19 August 2025

LNEP Vol.114

ISSN (Print): 2753-7056

ISSN (Online): 2753-7048

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-327-7

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-328-4

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Abstract

Within the global craze for blind boxes, Pop Mart, as the leading player in the blind box industry, has demonstrated how scarcity and storytelling can drive explosive consumer demand through its Naruto series and The Monsters series of blind boxes. This study integrates interdisciplinary approaches such as transmedia storytelling, co-branding, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) scarcity effect, and Baudrillard's theory of symbolic consumption to uncover the underlying logic behind society's fascination with blind boxes. The aim is to assist toy brands driven by intellectual property (IP) in exploring a path that balances growth with sustainability. This study first conducts a case analysis of Pop Mart's product line, financial status, and community operations from 2023 to 2025, dissecting its value creation framework. Then reviews numerous academic articles and reports to reveal how factors such as symbolic consumption, impulse buying, FOMO, and perceived scarcity interact, and provides targeted suggestions based on these findings. The research results reveal three mechanisms. Firstly, cross-media expansion and co-branding integration introduce the narrative capital of blind boxes. Secondly, artificially created uncertainty triggers FOMO and perceived scarcity, leading to products selling out quickly while also driving transactions in the secondary market. Thirdly, both series of blind boxes shift consumers from functional consumption to symbolic value consumption. Based on the research findings, this paper recommends that the blind box industry make winning probabilities transparent, establish a blind box recycling mechanism, and incorporate more cross-media elements to solidify its symbolic value, thereby achieving long-term brand profitability.

Keywords:

Blind box economy, symbolic consumption, FOMO and scarcity effect, transmedia storytelling and co-branding.

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