Sonny Angels have been trending across social media platforms, but what are they? 

Sonny Angels are collectible figurines that wear different headgear and have angel wings on their back. Sonny Angel is the name of the angel boy and each figurine of him includes the variety of costumes that he likes to wear. These figurines were created by toy manufacturer, Toru Soeya, who named Sonny Angel after his nickname “Sonny.” Although Sonny Angel was born on May 15th 2004, he has begun to earn his spotlight nineteen years later. 

These adorable trinkets come in many different variations such as fruits, vegetables, and animals. There are also limited edition series that have specific themes such as Jeju, circus, and cherry blossom. Another popular variation of these dolls is the ‘hippers’ design. The hipper angels do not stand on their own, but rather have an adhesive on the stomach where it can attach to different surfaces. An appealing aspect of these angels is that they come in blind boxes, with twelve possible figures you can get in each series. You will not know which Sonny Angel you got until you open the box. Adding to the surprise element, each series of Sonny Angels include a secret angel and a rare figure called Robby Angel. He is known as Sonny Angel’s best friend and often matches in design with Sonny Angel. While Robby Angels are rare to collect, some express that they are disappointed to get him when they are expecting a Sonny Angel. Nonetheless, many hope to collect him as well and proudly display them amongst their other figurines. 

Because of the surprise element of each blind box, Sonny Angel trading has become a huge event between collectors. Recently there was a Sonny Angel Trading event hosted by an.mé, a store in New York City which sells vintage goods. They are known for selling all kinds of Sonny Angels and even have a display case filled with them. The trading event took place on April 2nd, 2023, at Washington Square Park where 150 people attended. The trading event caught some traction as a recent New York Times article discussed the event while analyzing the popularity of Sonny Angels. Reflecting on the meetup, Ulises Ponce ’23 said, “I’m not a huge fan of the special series; I’m content with just the fruits and veggies series. I also like that no matter what you pull, you can always try to trade angels you don’t want anymore in one of the many online or in-person Sonny Angel communities that exist for trading and selling. Meetups have become particularly popular in the city lately, although I haven’t gotten the chance to go to one myself.” With the growing popularity of these Angels, there is no doubt that more events will take place in the future. 

Besides buying them from an.mé, many people get their Sonny Angels from Teso Life; a Japanese department store that sells products like makeup, snacks, and blind boxes. Recently, a new branch of Teso Life called Teso-X opened. Teso-X is a store that strictly sells toys and games. They also have a section of the store that serves as an “arcade” with claw machines. There is a claw machine with Sonny Angels along with a huge display of them at the front of the store. For more exclusive series, people order from the Sonny Angel website.

Although these little doll figures may seem like something that would appeal to a younger audience, they have actually reached a wide range of age groups. 

The Sonny Angel mission and backstory states:  “Sonny Angel is a little angel boy who likes wearing all sorts of headgear. He is always by your side to make you smile. Sonny Angel will provide healing moments in your everyday life. He is a welcome sight at the entrance to your home, next to your bed, on your desk and so many other places.” 

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Kristen Li

An.mé is a store that sells vintage toys. They have hosted multiple Sonny Angel trading events in New York City.

People of all ages are hopping on the bandwagon of collecting Sonny Angels and fulfilling the Sonny Angel mission of healing moments in everyday lives. 

Zooming into a specific group, Sonny Angels have been spotted everywhere in the halls of Bronx Science. As Sonny Angels have been dominating collectors on social media and fueling obsessions, many Bronx Science students have been joining in as well. Most are seen attached to students’ phone cases, and it’s impossible to miss seeing at least one when walking through the halls. 

Adding to this, Susan Cohen ’23 said, “Starting this school year, I have seen many Sonny Angels more frequently around school. Whenever I ask someone to talk about their Sonny Angel, they always talk about how they are very cute and match their personal aesthetic.” 

For Ponce, collecting Sonny Angels was a way to spend his summer job money. “I started collecting Sonny Angels after I got my first job in the summer. Honestly, I started buying them because I saw them online, and I didn’t have much else to spend my job money on. For me, the appeal is the randomness of every pull. While it really stinks when you get one of the angels you didn’t really want to get, the feeling of pulling one you DID want is amazing,” said Ponce. Like Ponce, many others appeal to the surprise element of Sonny Angels. The thrill and adrenaline of opening a new box in anticipation of getting one you want is what fuels people’s need to buy more.

Ponce’s passion with buying Sonny Angels resonates with Miles Kross ’23 as well. He expresses that these Angels are fun to collect and has a lion hipper angel attached to his phone case. “They’re fun, and I love tchotchkes,” said Kross. Like Kross, students just simply like Sonny Angels because of their cute and fun appeal. “I like Sonny angels because they’re cute. When I have Sonny angels stuck on my phone case, I take more mirror pictures since I like Sonny angels,” said Danielle Lee ’23.

Pithiya D’ Costa ’23 expresses her interest in Sonny Angels by saying, “Sonny Angels are just the best. Although they are a little creepy, they make the perfect little addition to your life!” She carries around a pear angel that is attached to her phone which sparks conversation wherever she goes. 

I generally enjoy collecting little trinkets, so these figurines were not spared from my collection. I personally like Sonny Angels because of the wide variety of their fun and colorful headwear. Like Ponce, one of my favorite series is the fruit and vegetable series since I like to take pictures of my Angels next to their corresponding food. Besides those series, I think that carrying these figures around is fun, since they act like a companion for me in my every day life. I like the fact that the figurines are small and easily transportable, so that I can always have one with me without it taking up too much space in my bag. 

I think that the appeal of Sonny Angels amongst high school students, especially Bronx Science students, is wholesome. We students are usually focused on school work and the next assignment or test, but the excitement of seeing an Angel at school is like no other. In a setting that is usually quite stressful, our Sonny Angels really do brighten up our school days and allow us to bond with other collectors. 

“Sonny Angel is a little angel boy who likes wearing all sorts of headgear. He is always by your side to make you smile. Sonny Angel will provide healing moments in your everyday life. He is a welcome sight at the entrance to your home, next to your bed, on your desk and so many other places.”