Sonny Angels are 3-inch-tall Japanese mini figures that were “born” in May 2004 and first manufactured in 2005 by the company, Dreams Inc. Sonny Angel is the name of this little 2-year-old cherub who consistently has a pair of wings and is available wearing an assortment of headgear and outfits. The inventor behind Sonny is Toru Soeya, a toy manufacturer and CEO of Dreams Inc. whose nickname was “Sonny”, a name which he lent to the figures. Soeya’s inspiration for Sonny was Kewpie dolls, another brand of mini figures that resemble babies or toddlers. One of the purposes of the Angels was to bring comfort to women in their mid-20s while they dealt with the stress of adulthood. According to some videos on TikTok, Sonny is also said to help bring comfort to women who have had miscarriages. Most of the time Sonny’s Angels are sold in blind boxes and one might be lucky enough to open Robby, a figurine that resembles a dog and is described as being able to change colors to camouflage and match with Sonny. Robby is one of the, or possibly the rarest Sonny Angel, the chance of getting him being in 1/144 boxes.
There are various ways to utilize the Angels, one being to display them on shelves or in cases. Some people have purchased shelves that look like mini fire escapes for the outside of an apartment building and have hung that on their wall and filled it with Angels. Another way to display them is in clear vinyl cases that can clip onto a bag or lanyard. Of course, the easiest way to take your Angel out on the town is to pop him in your bag or pocket.
In 2023, there were over 900 Sonny Angel designs, meaning over 900 different headpieces and outfits, and about 10 different Robby designs. Sonny Angel blind-boxes are released as a series – a collection that follows a theme. So far there are 10 series. The main 10 series are: Vegetable Series, Flower Series, Marine Series, Fruit Series, Animal Series 1, Animal Series 2, Animal Series 3, Animal Series 4, Sweet Series, and Hippers.
Hippers are Angels that are even smaller than their regular 3-inch statue that have an adhesive stomach to stick onto something like a phone case, rearview mirror, over-the-ear headphones, and more, and all you can see from the front is their face peeking over. There are two Hipper Series; the Dream Series, which depicts animals from the Animals Series 1 with their original colors changed to pastel and “cuter” colors, and the Harvest Series. The Vegetable Series includes Sonny wearing different headgear like a carrot, tomato, garlic, and radish. The Flower Series includes a rose, cherry blossom, poppy, sunflower, and more. The Marine Series includes a shark, jellyfish, and seahorse, and more. The Fruit Series includes a raspberry, peach, pear, strawberry, and of course, more. Animal Series 1 includes animals like an elephant, panda, sloth, and monkey. More animals available in Animals Series 2 include animals like a duck, cow, and skunk. Animals Series 3 includes a parrot, rhino, and corgi, among other animals. Animal Series 4 includes a buffalo, a calico cat, a blue gorilla, and more. Finally, the Sweet Series includes sweet treats like a cream puff, a cupcake, and jellybeans. A couple of times a year, a limited edition series is released. In the past, there’s been multiple Christmas limited edition series, a Valentine’s Day series called “Gifts of Love”, a Winter Wonderland series, and a Wonderland series that features different Sonny figures dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland.
Some Sonny superfans might attend the gathering in Washington Square Park in Lower Manhattan, NY. At this gathering, people sell, trade, and look at each other’s figurines. You can also see fan art of Sonny and some people give out cake and other sweet treats at the meet-up. It’s a great way to trade any multiples you might have for a specific one you’re looking for to complete a series. It’s also common for some people to use the Angels as motivation. One person reported that Sonny Angels helped her quit bad habits; after going a certain number of days without indulging in the bad habit, she would treat herself by opening a Sonny Angel. Some have also said they help as encouragement for studying.
Currently, Sonny Angels are sold in 33 countries and in the U.S. can run from $10.00 USD to $16.00 USD. You can purchase them online from Sonny Angel Store or get them in person in various toy stores and gift shops. Not only do these pocket-sized cherubs look adorable displayed on a shelf, they have brought people of all ages comfort and happiness for 20 years and continue to do so every day.
