Fomo or true love? Here’s how young fans are spending their money

In 2019, Singaporean graphic designer David Hilman and his $6,000 Frozen merchandise collection made headlines.

While not all fans have thousands of dollars to splurge on merchandise or collections, many do set aside money to buy their idols’ merchandise or trending collectibles – be it Taylor Swift records or Sonny Angels.

Blind box mania

German data company Statista reported that in 2021, blind boxes overtook assembled toys to become the largest popular toy segment in China, with a market value of around 9.7 billion yuan (S$1.8 billion).

And it is definitely the case for Singapore too.

On the streets, you are likely to see youth with a small figurine stuck to the top of their phones. These little figurines are known as hippers and are part of the blind box craze that has taken Singapore by storm.

One avid collector is 20-year-old Amber Ng Si Qi, who has a soft spot for the popular glowing green figurines, Smiskis. She also ponies up for other blind box figurines such as Sonny Angels and the Crybaby and Twinkle Twinkle series from blind box giant Pop Mart.

“I started collecting (figurines) at the start of 2024 when I saw the hype of Sonny Angels on TikTok,” the Nanyang Polytechnic student said.

“I found them weird-looking at first, but some of the designs grew on me. I also started liking Smiskis and spent over $100 on them in just a few months.”

A regular blind box that she buys from Pop Mart costs $15.90. 

Ms Ng is currently on an internship that pays $750 a month, out of which she sets aside $150 to spend on blind boxes. She estimates that she has spent between $300 and $400 in total on her collection so far.

Despite the amount of money spent, the mass media management student says she does not regret it because it makes her happy.

“My figurines are all around the same price because I don’t buy from resellers. I prefer opening my own blind boxes,” she said.

However, other figurine collectors, like Ms Teo Hui Yee, Joey , prefer buying unsealed blind boxes on online marketplaces like Carousell or Telegram Want To Sell group chats so that they are guaranteed the figurines they have their eye on. Also, pre-opened blind boxes may cost less than brand-new ones.

The 22-year-old full-time medical lab technician says she usually buys only one or two blind boxes from the collections she likes, hoping to get the variations she wants. 

“If I don’t, I’ll just buy the opened ones from Carousell or the Pop Mart Telegram group chat.”

Other collectors are more strategic about their purchases.

Nanyang Polytechnic nursing student Jason Wong Tze Hern, 19, visits the Pop Mart store with a mission – to look for “secrets”, rare figurines that are one in a hundred.

“At first, I just picked randomly,” the Hirono enthusiast said. “But after I saw how others get the secrets or specific figurines I want on (Chinese social media app) Xiaohongshu, I will consciously feel the weight (of the product) or gently squeeze it to see if it may be the one I want before buying.”

Despite his extensive research, he says his success rate is only about 70 per cent.

“Sometimes the weight varies, or the figurine’s position in the box is different, so I might end up with something I don’t want,” he said. He sells the figurines he does not want on Carousell at the same price he purchased them for. 

Mr Wong, a scholarship student from Malaysia, used to allocate $200 from his monthly allowance of $1,100 to blind boxes. He owns every figurine from two Hirono series, including the secrets as well as a few other miscellaneous figurines of other characters.

But he admits he has some regrets, as the money could have gone to more meaningful things.

“On a trip to Thailand with my friend, I had to consciously keep track of my spending because I had spent a lot on blind boxes that month. I couldn’t really enjoy myself to the fullest on that trip,” Mr Wong said. He now limits himself to three blind boxes per month.

Celebrity stans

According to South Korean album sales tracker Circle Chart, the sales of physical albums have tripled in South Korea over three years to more than 119 million in 2023. This is despite many young people not owning a CD player.

But for most fans, the CD is not the main attraction – a photocard of the band member that comes with the album is what fans are interested in. As the photocard is given randomly, many fans will purchase album after album just to get the card they want.

You can spot most K-pop fans with photocards of their favourite artistes on display in cardholders or by small animal or character plushies representative of their “bias” – their favourite member.

More hardcore fans, like Ms Calista Kok, 20, can also be spotted decked out in other merchandise – T-shirts, jackets, bags and accessories including necklaces and bracelets, and even perfumes – from their favourite groups.

Ms Kok can spend up to $400 on merchandise and photocards every time her favourite groups release a new album. On average, each group releases three or four albums per year.

The Singapore Institute of Management student is a fan of K-pop boybands NCT and Zerobaseone, and attended their concerts in Singapore in 2024. Like many other K-pop fans, Ms Kok is also a keen collector of photocards.

She spends her holidays working part-time at a warehouse as a packer, earning up to $1,600 monthly to fund her collection.

“I used to collect every single photocard for Taeyong, Kun and Chenle from NCT in 2020, but I’m more selective now, so I just buy the ones I think are cute,” she said.

Her most expensive photocard is a shiny $160 one of her “ultimate bias”, NCT’s Kun, which she purchased from an overseas seller. There is almost a one-in-a-million chance of getting the card from the group’s Resonance album, which was released in 2020. The card is displayed in a case on her desk.

“I do not regret getting the photocards that I have as collecting is one of my hobbies, and I feel happy whenever I look at my collection,” she said.

But it is not just K-pop fans who spend loads to support their favourite idols. Mr Kieran Han Jen-On, 19, is a Swiftie who splurges. The Nanyang Polytechnic student became a die-hard fan of the global pop star in 2020 when her “lyrics became relatable to him”.

It was a dream come true for him when Swift went on tour in 2024.

“I went to the first two nights of The Eras Tour in Singapore and attended the one (show) in London,” he said. Mr Han queued up at the HarbourFront Singapore Post outlet from 5am to 5pm to secure his tickets for the March 2024 local shows.

Later in August 2024, he spent $800 to purchase a resold ticket for Swift’s London show. He says it was money well spent.

“I will never be 19 years old and at The Eras Tour ever again. My experience was so magical, and it was worth so much more than the $800 ticket.”

Mr Han works part-time regularly at a bakery and does freelance videography while studying. He may earn up to $1,000 per month. Though he does not have a fixed budget for spending on Swift merchandise, he owns one vinyl for each of the pop star’s Taylor’s Version albums, which costs around $72 each. 

However, fans do not necessarily have to spend exorbitant sums on a celebrity to show their support, they say.

Ms Nur Insyirah, 21, a student at Temasek Polytechnic, is a fan of K-pop boybands NCT and Enhypen and girl group Aespa. She gives herself a budget of about $50 for merchandise whenever her favourite groups release a new album.

“Buying merchandise is just one way of showing support to my faves, but I also support them by attending their concerts and listening to their latest albums,” she said.

Join ST’s WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.