Inside a mostly abandoned Sunset Place mall lives a hidden gem: Colorful Cute. Colorful Cute is the home of many figurines and blind boxes, including the rare Sonny Angels.
Sonny Angels are not just a little blind box; they spark joy and excitement within many students at Miami Palmetto Senior High.
“The first time I heard about Colorful Cute was from my friend who is obsessed with Sonny Angels,” junior Kyla Sherry said. “She found out there was a store in South Miami called Colorful Cute that carried the most up-to-date Sonny Angels.”
While Colorful Cute sells many different types of blind boxes, MPSH students are mostly focused on acquiring Sonny Angels.
“My favorite items [at Colorful Cute] are Sonny Angels because they are really cute and I already have a collection at home that I can add to as well,” junior Lucy Dwyer said.
The blind box is originally from Japan. With Sonny Angels being manufactured overseas, it becomes difficult for people in the United States to access them without overpriced reselling and long delivery times.
“It’s hard to get them online because most of the time they are sold out. It’s easier to get them having Colorful Cute close by and having them accessible,” sophomore Shaina Rogers said.
Dwyer also finds Colorful Cute to have great access to Sonny Angels without the extra charge.
“[Colorful Cute] has been super helpful because without it, I would have to buy from the [Sonny Angel] website, which is pretty expensive because of the extra shipping fees,” Dwyer said.
Sonny Angels come in a variety of themes from animals, plants, fruits and marine animals; essentially anything that would look cute on a Sonny Angel appears in a series.
“My favorite Sonny Angels at the store are either the Animal Series 4 or the Marine Series,” Sherry said.
With all these Sonny Angels to collect, students at MPSH have their own series or limited edition that they keep an eye out for at Colorful Cute.
“My favorite types of Sonny Angels are the bears with the flowers or the Strawberry Series because they are so cute and I love how colorful they are,” Dwyer said.
Students go wild the second Colorful Cute announces another stock of Sonny Angels.
“Sonny Angels are the most popular item at the store, so they run out quickly when they first get released,” Sherry said.
With the popularity of Sonny Angels, there has been a community built around these figurines at MPSH. Once students hear about a Sonny Angel drop at Colorful Cute, word spreads fast.
“With Sonny Angels at our school, people will post about them when they get released and will start talking about trading them,” Sherry said.
The access Colorful Cute provides to Sonny Angels helps build the collections students are adding to.
“With my love for Sonny Angels, I talk about them all the time, and a lot of people have all noticed the collection of my angels in my car,” Rogers said.
Colorful Cute creates another way for MPSH students to bond, even across the different series they enjoy; these figurines spark new conversations and friendships.
As for Sherry, she explained how Sonny Angels have allowed people to open themselves up to conversations with people they might not have talked to before and connect over the product.
There is a common theme with these newly created bonds, helping students come together.
“I think [Sonny Angels] overall creates a nice bond for [MPSH] students because you can talk about them to just about anyone and they would understand,” Dwyer said.
While Sonny Angels might just be little themed babies sold in blind boxes, they continue to bring joy and new connections among Panthers.
