In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, there’s a famous saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.” The surprise is part of the fun. Now blind box toys are bringing the magic of surprise to online shopping.
在1994年上映的影片《阿甘正传》中，有句名台词：“生活就像一盒巧克力，你永远不知道下一颗是什么。”这样的惊喜也是一番乐趣。如今，盲盒玩具将这股惊喜的魅力带到了网购中。

A blind box toy is hidden inside uniform packaging but invisible from the outside. You don’t know what will be inside, although the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.
盲盒都有着统一的外包装，从外边看不见里面。你不知道里面的玩偶是什么，但这些玩偶一般都来源于流行文化，比如电影、漫画、动画等。

Blind boxes have caught on since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014. According to a 2019 Tmall report, the mini-series of Labubu blind box, designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung, was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55,000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. Most customers for blind boxes are young people aged 18 to 35.
盲盒自2014年从日本首次进入中国后便风靡开来。据天猫2019年的一份报告显示，由出生于香港的龙家升所设计的Labubu迷你系列盲盒在“双十一”购物节期间9秒钟就售出了55000个，成为全网断货王。大多数盲盒消费者都是18-35岁之间的年轻人。

According to The Paper, blind box toys are popular in part because of their cute appearances. The typically cute cartoon figurines come in miniature sizes, making them suitable for display almost anywhere.
据澎湃新闻报道，盲盒玩偶备受欢迎的原因之一是它们可爱的外表。这些以可爱作为特色的卡通小人偶个头迷你，几乎可以在几乎任何地方摆放。

Even if blind boxes are not their top choice for decorations, the mystery and uncertainty of the process also attracts people. It’s the dominant reason why people buy blind boxes one after another.
即便盲盒并非是大家装饰的首选，开盲盒时的神秘感与不确定性却让人欲罢不能。这便是人们买盲盒买到停不下来的主要原因。

“Fear of the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process,” said Miss Cao, 24, who lives and works in Shenyang. Speaking to Sina News, she said: “Until you open all the boxes, you cannot know what it is inside.”
“开盒的过程中，心里带着未知的紧张，”24岁的沈阳女孩小曹表示。在接受新浪新闻采访时，她表示：“不打开所有的盲盒，你是不会知道里面都有些什么的。”

Opening a blind box is a delightful little surprise for our mundane daily lives, something small but fun to wait for each day, week or month. When people open this simple little box, they may be disappointed, but the uncertainty is part of the fun. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better outcome.
在我们平淡无奇的日常生活中，开盲盒是个令人开心的小惊喜，这件小事成了每天、每周或者每月都值得期待的乐趣。当人们打开这个小小的盒子时，他们或许会感到失望，但这种不确定性正是其中的乐趣所在。人们会打开更多盲盒，期待得到心属之物。

When someone re-makes Forrest Gump, don’t be surprised if he says, “Life is like a blind box ...”
如果有人翻拍了《阿甘正传》，把台词改成了“生活就像一个盲盒……”，也就不足为奇了。

(Translator & Editor: Wang Xingwei AND Luo Sitian)
https://www.i21st.cn/story/3458.html