TikTok “mystery scoop” content is riding the blind box success wave. In case you’ve never seen mystery scoop videos, they involve users purchasing bundles of trinkets and stationery decided by what’s scooped out of a bin at random—essentially the internet’s cute-item gambling habit. Sellers use colorful beads and other tiny plastic symbols as a guide to what each buyer gets; for a set price, the buyers get whatever the scoop’s yield decides. And like many other products on TikTok Shop, the items are mostly mass-produced and inexpensive—but the purchase is really about the experience. Unboxing is a surprise like any other blind box purchase, though some pay extra to see their order packed on TikTok, where the packing itself adds an ASMR appeal to the shops. The trend is far from new, emerging back in 2022, but with new blind box toys going viral constantly, “mystery” shopping has become commonplace. (NYT)
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