21-9-2023 (BANGKOK) Chaos erupted at the opening of Thailand’s first Pop Mart store in Bangkok as a large crowd of shoppers rushed to purchase limited edition art toys, resulting in several injuries.
The Chinese toy company, widely popular for its collectible designer toys, officially launched its flagship Thai store at CentralWorld shopping mall on Rama I Road. As part of a special opening day promotion, customers who spent over 10,000 baht (S$377) were eligible to buy the Thai limited edition of the Skull Panda art toy.
Only 140 units of the highly sought-after collectible were available, standing at a height of 14cm. The toy, named “Skull Panda Hoar Frost Le Coeur de Neige,” was priced at 6,990 baht each.
Reports indicated that on Tuesday, hundreds of shoppers had already started queuing overnight in front of the store in anticipation of the grand opening. However, it was discovered that some individuals in the line were not genuine toy collectors but were instead hired by scalpers hoping to resell the limited edition toys at inflated prices.
A job advertisement posted on Facebook on Tuesday sought 50 people willing to stand in line at the Pop Mart store to obtain queue cards. The advertisement offered payment ranging from 400 baht to 1,000 baht.
Pop Mart, a Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed company, has gained immense popularity for its “blind box” format, where collectible toys are packaged in sealed boxes, adding an element of surprise for buyers. The brand has garnered a dedicated following among China’s affluent and youthful consumers.
Chinese (Simplified)
Filipino
Indonesian
Malay
Thai