The Henan museum in Zhengzhou launched its series of blind boxes on December 4th and had sold out by 5pm. Frustrated buyers lobbied the Weibo microblogging account of the museum, calling for an urgent restock reports CCTN. The new supply sold out in just half an hour. The museum now says fans will have to wait for 10-20 days.



The blind boxes recreate the excitement of an archaeological dig. Until the surrounding earth is carefully chipped off wannabe archaeologists won’t know whether they will reveal a pot, a seal or other cultural relics. The Henan boxes come in different sizes with prices starting at around 40 yuan (around $6.15).


Surprise element of blind boxes appeals to millennials.Blind boxes are part of a growing awareness amongst cultural institutions of the need to appeal to younger audiences, millennials in particular. The appeal lies in the ‘surprise’ element of a purchase.

Jing Culture & Commerce says the market in blind box sales has increased by 600 percent between 2018 and 2019.
Art toys a growing sector
DC Palace Museum Tmall
Pop Life Global has also joined forces with the Palace Museum to announce a DC collectibles collaboration.

Chinese e-commerce retailer Tmall has ranked “art toys” as one of their top growing sectors. Online sales of art toys have grown exponentially, from 6.3 RMB in 2015 to 20.7 RMB in 2019. Estimates suggest they will continue rising to a projected 76.3 RBM in 2024, according to figures from Chyxx.com.