TikTok has done it again; ugly, overpriced, “niche” collectible toys – of no specific significance – are the trending must-haves. In other words, a bunch of naked winged babies are being glued to smart phones and turning people – including myself – into victims of consumerism.
Sonny Angels were originally sold as display toys with no other purpose than to bring cheer and emotionally heal people – though now certain editions, called “hippers”, with sticky stomachs are also available to decorate the back of your phone, like sunshine in your pocket. These miniature cupid-esque figurines wear a themed headpiece, ranging from market produce to numerous animals, as a sort of disguise.
Élaine Timbang, 18, enthusiastically collects the blind boxes, influenced by her cousin and social media. For the last two years, an elephant-costumed baby perched on her iPhone case has been the source of her happiness. Though she now owns 17 naked babies—12 of which are still unopened—Élaine had a hard time coming by her first one during the summer 2024 Sonny Angel blow-out. Her hunt was finally over when she came across the elephant-disguised baby of her dreams on Facebook marketplace. The rest of her supply was procured in the Philippines, during her most recent family visit.
Elsewhere, Afroditi Stathopoulos, 17, received a fake, cheaper Sonny Angel from her sister, who was looking to wear them as symbols of sisterly friendship. Pretty quickly, its head fell off, making it look “disturbingly endearing”. Either way, Afroditi thought it was ridiculous at first, refusing to indulge in the silly trend. She ended up owning a Sonny Angel for over a year.
Glueing a winged naked baby with headgear to your devices draws attention, something Afroditi classified as a conversation starter. “It was a headless baby on a phone case, of course it got stares. People would ask what the story was, and I didn’t have an answer for them,” she explained. Among the entourage at her workplace – a Greek restaurant in the Saint-Laurent neighbourhood – is where the headless hipper was most in the spotlight, with clients and fellow staff being predominantly from older generations. Even with the head on, they didn’t seem to know of the toy.
These collectible toys are not the first of their kind. Adults all around the world collect toys for display – without always having much more of a reason than spending money on age-inappropriate objects.
Katriina Heljakka is an expert and researcher in play and toy cultures at Finland’s University of Turku. She explained to Retail Drive in their 2025 article entitled Labubus, Gen Z and the Collection Obsession: “Most often, toys are bought because of reasons tied with lifestyle—adults want to express their playfulness, fandoms or just love for toy brands in a visual, material, and social way. Toys are visually intriguing objects and spark conversations. What drives this behaviour are personal needs and needs to belong in a community.”
Élaine, much to her own dismay and despite being a proud member of the Sonny Angel community, considers herself a victim of consumerism. “It’s kind of like a secret community, you know?” When she crosses someone in the street or on public transport with a visible Sonny Angel, Élaine parades her own to connect with them. Trends may start from a silly TikTok video, but they have the power to shape a community, giving a generation the chance to interact and relate through collectible objects.
The headless-naked-baby community has more than one member, and Afroditi points out that when she runs into another holder of a disfigured phone charm, she immediately recognizes that theirs is a fake as well. “I think that it was really just a micro-trend that I noticed because I was a part of it,” she added.
