Bubble Mart, the Chinese toy company known for its “blind box” collectibles, has seen its latest product line, the “Starry Man Dream Weather Bureau Series,” sell out online within seconds of its release. The new series, priced at 79 yuan (approximately $11 USD) per blind box or 474 yuan (approximately $65 USD) for a full box, has quickly become a highly sought-after item.
The instant sell-out caused online platforms, including Bubble Mart’s official mini-program and major e-commerce sites, to experience technical glitches and temporary crashes due to the surge in traffic. Customers reported frustration, with many saying the products were sold out before they could even add them to their carts. Two customers in a Nanjing IFC Bubble Mart store shared their stories of failed attempts to purchase the new toys. “I tried to buy a whole box, but after the page loaded, the payment failed, and it was already sold out,” said one customer, Ms. Liu. Another, Ms. Wu, said she set an alarm to buy one for her child but found herself in a queue of hundreds of people online and was unable to purchase one at a physical store either.
The “Starry Man” series has seen a rapid rise in value on the secondary market. On the Xianyu app, a full box recently sold for 1,350 yuan (approximately $185 USD), about three times its original price. Individual blind boxes sold for an average of 150 yuan (approximately $20 USD), doubling their retail price, while a rare “hidden” version was listed for as much as 478 yuan (approximately $66 USD), more than six times its initial cost.
A reseller in a Bubble Mart customer group noted that demand for the “Starry Man” series far exceeded expectations and compared its popularity to the frenzy surrounding the LABUBU 3.0 series two months prior. The reseller speculated that the “Starry Man” series could be the next blockbuster IP for the company and that its price would likely continue to rise.
When contacted for comment, a Bubble Mart customer service representative said the company does not have a specific policy to manage price gouging in the secondary market but would log the feedback. The company advises consumers to purchase products through official channels only.
According to data from Flush Data, Bubble Mart’s adjusted net profit for the first half of 2025 was 4.71 billion yuan (approximately $645 million USD), a 362.8% year-over-year increase. The “Starry Man” series has already generated 390 million yuan (approximately $53 million USD) in revenue, making it one of the company’s fastest-growing IPs.
An expert in the field attributed the company’s success to three main factors: the willingness of young consumers to pay for emotional connection and “cute” aesthetics, the use of AI technology to enhance the emotional value of the toys, and a successful closed-loop marketing strategy that includes social media promotion, creating viral hits, and a responsive supply chain.