{"id":30613,"date":"2025-06-23T13:15:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T11:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=30613"},"modified":"2025-06-25T08:45:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T06:45:38","slug":"pop-mart-turned-collectible-dolls-into-an-empire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2025\/06\/pop-mart-turned-collectible-dolls-into-an-empire\/","title":{"rendered":"Pop Mart Turned Collectible Dolls into an Empire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pop Mart, a Chinese collectibles company, has surged in popularity by turning mystery into a business model. Its blind box toys\u2014where buyers don\u2019t know what figure they\u2019ll get\u2014drive most of its revenue and have sparked a global craze. Exclusive collaborations with artists like Kasing Lung (creator of <em>Labubu)<\/em> have helped the brand expand rapidly, with overseas sales tripling in 2024 and plans to nearly double its U.S. store count by 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The model\u2019s surprise-and-collect appeal draws comparisons to gambling, prompting new regulations in Asia. In response, Pop Mart is diversifying into plush toys, accessories, and digital content to sustain growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch the video to learn how Pop Mart blends art, scarcity, and retail strategy to build a booming global collectibles empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"This Chinese Company Turned Collectible Dolls Into a $1.8B Empire | WSJ The Economics Of\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0X8KvR82-qw?wmode=transparent&amp;rel=0&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vocabulary Questions: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What does <strong>&#8220;splurge&#8221; <\/strong>mean? <em>&#8220;When you decide to <strong>splurge <\/strong>on a Pop Mart blind box, which could cost around 20 to $30, you don&#8217;t go in totally blind.&#8221; <\/em>Give two (2) synonyms and use it in a sentence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does the phrasal verb<strong> &#8220;lean into&#8221; <\/strong>mean? <em>&#8220;Pop Mart didn&#8217;t invent blind box packaging. But it is successfully<strong> leaning into <\/strong>what customers like about it.&#8221;<\/em> Give a similar expression and use it in a sentence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does <strong>&#8220;to double one&#8217;s footprint&#8221;<\/strong> mean? <em>&#8220;The company plans to open more than 20 stores in the US by the end of 2025, nearly <strong>doubling its footprint<\/strong> in the country.&#8221;<\/em> Give a similar expression and use it in a sentence.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have you ever bought something just for the surprise or emotional thrill, like a blind box or loot crate? What drew you to it?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why do you think people are so willing to spend money on collectibles they don\u2019t necessarily need?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you think the appeal of mystery in products like blind boxes enhances the experience\u2014or encourages impulsive spending?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do you feel about the comparison between blind box shopping and gambling? Where would you draw the ethical line?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you think this kind of trend-driven consumerism can last, or will people eventually lose interest as the novelty fades?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How would you personally balance collecting for fun versus spending wisely in today\u2019s economic climate?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate Pop Mart, a Chinese collectibles company, has surged in popularity by turning mystery into a business model. Its blind box toys\u2014where buyers don\u2019t know what figure they\u2019ll get\u2014drive most of its revenue and have sparked a global craze. Exclusive collaborations with artists like Kasing Lung (creator of Labubu) have helped the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[291,162,8710,301,292,290,14],"class_list":["post-30613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homework","tag-b2-upper-intermediate","tag-business","tag-business-and-business-english","tag-business-english","tag-first-certificate-fce","tag-listening","tag-video"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v16.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pop Mart Turned Collectible Dolls into an Empire | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2025\/06\/pop-mart-turned-collectible-dolls-into-an-empire\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pop Mart Turned Collectible Dolls into an Empire | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate Pop Mart, a Chinese collectibles company, has surged in popularity by turning mystery into a business model. Its blind box toys\u2014where buyers don\u2019t know what figure they\u2019ll get\u2014drive most of its revenue and have sparked a global craze. 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