This stocking stuffer-sized toy is selling like hotcakes, but older generations have probably never heard of it.
The hottest toy this holiday season is 5 Surprise Mini Brands, according to data released by Google on Tuesday. The search giant just launched Google Shopping 100, which lists the most searched products in eight categories: tech, kitchen gear, toys and games, accessories and apparel, gaming, sports and fitness, home goods and personal care. Topping the toy section this holiday shopping season is the ZURU 5 Surprise Mini Brands Mystery Capsule, a ball full of tiny objects that look all too familiar.
The 5 Surprise Mini Brands toy consists of five small plastic capsules, each containing surprise mini replicas of real-life products like Mentos gum, a tiny pack of Spam or an itty bitty soy sauce. Since the toys in each ball vary, part of the fun is the mystery in the act of unboxing, which has been widely demonstrated in YouTube videos. There are over 500 possible items, maker ZURU toys says, with new surprises added every four to six months.
The Kinder Egg-like plastic balls are wildly popular — too popular, in fact, for the UK-based creator to keep up with demand. As a result, 5 Surprise Mini Brands frequently sell out at retailers.
Price tags fluctuate significantly, with Target offering one for $9.99, Amazon selling a four-pack for $22.99 and Walmart retailing a single capsule for $23.96 — but Target’s are currently out of stock online.
ZURU also puts out themed versions of the 5 Surprise capsules, including a prehistoric-themed Dino Strike series, a Unicorn Squad capsule and colored capsules — although it doesn’t sell directly through its site.
On YouTube, creators often feature the toys in popular “unboxing” videos where they open the capsules and show off their miniature prizes.
In second place on Google’s top trending toy products list is a Harry Potter-themed coding kit and farther down the list are more classic toys including a LEGO resort and a NERF blaster.
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