Sonny Angel, he WILL bring you happiness: How Sonny Angels become so popular

Sonny Angel is a tiny doll that wears nothing but a hat, retails for less than $20.00, and “may bring you happiness”, as the marketing slogan suggests. This little collectable toy might not sound like much, but to many people across the globe, he is everything. 

I’ve got one, my co-worker has one, and I’m sure you’ll even want your own Sonny Angel by the end of this article. The toy has become so popular, and demand has gotten so high that there’s been a Sonny Angel shortage for many retailers. 

But the burning question on all of our minds is… why? Why does a three-inch plastic naked baby with an elaborate hat have such a hold on us? 

In this article, we aim to answer this question. 

But first, let’s go back to the beginning and give you a little Sonny Angel history lesson. 

Class is in session. 

Sonny Angel history lesson

The original Sonny Angel was created by Japanese toy designer Toru Soeya:  

Toru founded the toy brand Dreams Inc. and in 2004 came up with the idea for Sonny Angel. 

Sonny Angel was inspired by the Kewpie Mayo Baby (you can see the resemblance) and was intended to bring joy to stressed out working Japanese women. When I first read that, I thought that was ridiculous until I remembered that it’s me and my other stressed out female coworkers who love these little toys.

Toru viewed them as little “pocket boyfriends”.

It wasn’t until years later, in 2022, that these little babies saw a surge in popularity thanks to things like TikTok and the pandemic. People were seeking comfort in these cute little collectables. 

Since then, the Dreams brand has sold millions of Sonny Angels and have never looked back. 

The Sonny Angels audience 

First created for working women in Japan, Sonny Angels have gained worldwide popularity, but it is still mainly popular with the same age and gender demographic (women aged 25-34). Take a look at the data we collected on their current audience using Audiense: 

As you can see from the screenshot below, this audience is heavily influenced by social media, and their #1 social platform is TikTok, so that all checks out since we know these dolls were/ still are very big on TikTok.

What’s also interesting is that this audience makes choices that are driven by their desire for belongingness - this is definitely a theme that we’re seeing among the Sonny Angels consumer base; they want to be a part of the community and part of the hype that is buying and collecting these little miniature dolls. 

They are also very susceptible to stress and are easily overwhelmed in stressful situations - this is exactly the audience that Toru set out to create these Sonny Angels for, these “stressed out working women”. His target audience for the Sonny Angels product was right on the nose. 

Toru was somehow very in touch with his customers' needs and feelings. This can be hard to achieve without a tool like Audiense to tell you, so we commend him. 

What’s funny is that I think if a white man from North America had created and advertised a “pocket boyfriend” for working women, he might not have been met with the same praise; in fact, he might have even been cancelled - what do you think?  

Knowing what your customers need deep down is a science, and it makes all the difference between a viral product and one that never sells. 

Want to know what your own customers need? Sign up for a free trial of Audiense Insights so you can stop guessing and start giving your audience exactly what they need. 

What else is interesting about this Sonny Angel’s audience? 

When we look at the breakout of the Sonny Angel audience, we see a few interesting sub communities emerge. Groups involved in Pokémon trading, interested in Anime, and fans of Japanese boybands (EXILE and NCT). What’s cool to see is that some segments seem to like the Sonny Angel products because they are collectors (Pokémon traders), and some for the surprise “unboxing factor” (Prize Events), and then you have some communities who probably love the connection it brings them to other Sonny Angels owners (Casual Connections and Friendly Engagement). 

When we scroll their shared interest categories we can observe that they share an interest in education, pets, movies and TV, music, shopping, walking, travel, science and technology. 

Diving into their shopping interest further, we do see that they love buying toys, gifts, and they are fans of auctions. 

They are also big fans of the brand Sanrio that manufactures Kawaii (cute) products in Japan, and “Sylvanian Families”, another small cute toy: 

This audience is also big into things like Candy and Icecream, both maybe comforting and nostalgic to them, similar to Sonny Angels. 

You can explore the Sonny Angel audience further by clicking into this link. 

Why are they so damn popular?

So we know they are flying off the shelves and they are really popular with exasperated working women but WHY are they so popular? What can brands learn from this product that’s seen so much success?

First and foremost, they are cute 

You have to admit, Sonny Angels are cute. You might think “what does that have to do with anything?” But in fact it has a lot to do with why people are so drawn to them. This phenomenon of wanting something “cute” has even been studied by the famous professor Joshua Paul Dale, a professor who works at the Chuo University in Tokyo. 

Joshua explains that research shows that humans love things and creatures with “baby-like” features. These features trigger a primal response that makes us want to protect (buy/collect) that cute thing. 

“Cuteness” is a billion dollar industry. Think Pokémon, Hello Kitty, Winnie the Pooh; these are some of the highest grossing media franchises of all time. 

And this is nothing new, baby Kewpies came from the idea of baby cupids, a popular figure in western art since the renaissance. In the 1800s, baby cupids were everywhere. 

Things that are cute (example: a puppy) are shown to help relieve stress, improve mental health, and make us happy. 

So, Sonny Angels = cute, and people like to buy cute things. 

They’re collectables that create a sense of urgency

Sonny Angels are sold in a blind box, meaning you don’t know which one you are going to get until you open it, similar to Pokémon cards. 

And with any collectible, there are some that are rare or made in less quantities than the others. 

People get addicted to buying, opening and collecting them because they are usually on the hunt for a specific one. 

There are even “secret” ones like the Hawaiian Sonny Angel secret from the 2015 Hawaii collection, and these are the holy grail for collectors, going for $270 on the resale market. 

There are also “limited edition” releases of Sonny Angels that create this overwhelming need to buy it now, before it’s too late. 

In total there are about 1000 different ones to collect. 

They’re accessible 

Unlike some collectibles, like watches for example, Sonny Angels (when they are in stock) are accessible because they are sold at a price point that most people can afford. Buying one isn’t going to break the bank. 

So buyers can justify buying something in a ‘blind box’ and can also justify buying another one if they don’t get the desired one the first time around. 

You can take them anywhere

You can buy a version of Sonny Angels called “hippers” that you can attach/ stick to virtually anything. People attach them to their phone cases, laptops, computers…I’ve even seen them stuck to the back of a rearview mirror in a cab (you can’t escape them!). 

This means that you see them out in the real world constantly. Every time someone has them attached to their phone it’s like a free billboard or advertisement for Sonny Angels. 

They’ve reached TikTok

As we mentioned before, Sonny Angels have become big on TikTok. They make for the perfect “unboxing video” as creators film the experience of them opening and finding out which Sonny Angel they got, or they share new places to put them/ display them. 

Some TikTokers only post about Sonny Angels, and their videos have hundreds of thousands of views. 

We know that TikTok has such a heavy influence over what Gen Z and Millennial TikTok users buy. Usually, if something is trending on TikTok, it's sold out by the time you go to search for and buy it. 

So if you want your product to sell, it needs to go viral on TikTok or be seen being used by influential TikTok creators, this seems pretty obvious. 

Celebrities have them 

It's not just TikTok creators creating this hype around the toy; celebrities like Bella Hadid, Victoria Beckham, and Rosalia Vila Tobella have shown their audience their own collection (they weren’t paid to do it either), further boosting demand and validating that “yes this is a cool product”. 

For anyone doubting this purchase or thinking “is it weird if I buy this naked little doll”, they can be assured by the fact that it's popular even among the “elite”. 

They’ve become a part of pop culture 

Sonny Angels were featured in a Saturday Night Live sketch, a true sign that they have become a big part of pop culture. 

People will remember Tamagotchis and Beanie Babies from the 2000’s era, and people will remember Sonny Angels from this one. 

Why does this matter? It creates even more demand because, for collectors, it signifies that these could be worth a lot more money some day (just like how rare Beanie Babies sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars in today’s market). 

You can be a part of a community 

Sonny Angel buyers are so passionate about that toy that they’ve created communities around it. People have organized meet ups to trade Sonny Angels or showcase their collections. This fosters a feeling of connection among the fans. 

There are also hundreds of groups online letting people swap or just discuss the product. 

So the feeling that a Sonny Angel gives you when you buy and open it might be short lived, but then you are a part of something that lives on, this community. 

This tiny little toy can bring so much happiness and value for such a small price. 

These online communities are also a major marketing funnel for the toy because consumers are constantly updated on new releases, further enticing them to buy and build out their collections. 

So what can brands learn? 

If I were a toy brand, and I wanted to develop the newest viral “toy”, I’d try to take a page out of the Sonny Angels handbook: 

• Create something “cute”, that evokes a feeling of comfort or happiness when your customers see the product
• Price your product at an accessible price point, one that everyone can afford
• Send your product to influencers on TikTok 
• Create a special “unboxing” experience
• Build communities around discussing, collecting and trading the product
• Create the product in a way that makes it easy for your customers to bring them/put them anywhere

But most importantly, start with a customer need. 

Toru Soeya somehow knew that his audience, these stressed out working women in Japan, needed this product - a three inch naked baby. 

Get to know your audience like Toru has, and build something that fills your audience’s greatest needs. 

Create your own version of a Sonny Angel by using Audiense to discover what your audience needs most.