Sonny Angel Hippers vs Smiski: Which Should You Collect?

Two little figures dominate the "cute desk blind box" corner of the hobby: Sonny Angel and Smiski. They look like they belong to the same world — small, soft-colored, blind-boxed, and roughly the price of a fancy coffee — but they reward very different kinds of collector. If you are about to start one of these lines and want to start the right one, here is the honest comparison.

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We are comparing the two as collecting lines, not judging individual figures. Both are excellent; the question is which one fits how you actually want to collect, display, and (maybe) resell.

The two contenders in one minute

Sonny Angel figures are cherubic baby-faced characters with tiny wings, each themed — baker, astronaut, gardener, fruit, animal hats — and built around storytelling. You collect Sonny Angels to build little scenes and complete themed series. The Hippers sub-line is the lying-down version that became an office-desk phenomenon.

Smiski are minimalist green glow-in-the-dark creatures designed to tuck into nooks — peeking around a monitor, climbing a shelf edge, napping in a corner. They are quieter, quirkier, and the glow feature is the whole personality. You collect Smiski to hide them in clever spots, not to build a themed display.

Head to head

Factor	Sonny Angel Hippers	Smiski
Price per box	~$13–$14	~$12
Aesthetic	Cherubic, themed, expressive	Minimalist, abstract, green
Signature trait	Variety + storytelling	Glow-in-the-dark
Display style	Themed scenes, lined up	Tucked into nooks
Resale liquidity	Stronger, broader market	Niche, lower peaks
Best for	Theme-builders, completionists	Quirky, low-key collectors
Buy a box	Sonny Angel Hippers	Smiski Living

Price and accessibility

This is close to a tie. A single Sonny Angel runs about $12.25, Hippers a touch more around $13.75, and a standard Smiski lands near $12. Both are squarely in the impulse-buy zone, which is a big part of why they hooked so many people. Sold-out and limited series climb into the $20–$24 range for either brand, so neither is automatically the "cheap" option once you chase specific figures.

If you want the most figures for your money to start, Smiski edges it slightly. If a couple of dollars per box is irrelevant to you, ignore this category entirely — it is a wash.

Design and display philosophy

This is where the two genuinely diverge, and it should drive your decision more than price.

Sonny Angel is a display hobby. The figures are expressive and themed, so collectors line them up, build seasonal scenes, and curate by series. There is a completionist pull — a themed set feels unfinished with one figure missing — which is great if you love the hunt and dangerous if you do not budget for it. The Hippers pose specifically reads beautifully along a monitor stand or shelf lip.

Smiski is a placement hobby. The joy is hiding a glowing green figure somewhere unexpected and catching it later in the dark. They are abstract on purpose — less "characters with stories," more "tiny surprises in your space." If you want figures that disappear into your room rather than command a shelf, Smiski wins outright.

Neither approach is better. But buying Smiski expecting a grand themed display, or buying Sonny Angel expecting subtle hidden charm, is how people end up with a line they do not actually enjoy.

Which series should you actually start with?

Neither brand is a single product — each has many series, and your first one shapes whether you get hooked or bounce off.

For Sonny Angel, the Hippers line is the most popular entry for a reason: the lying-down pose looks great on a monitor or shelf edge, and the regular themed series (animals, fruit, vegetables) are the most "Sonny Angel" of the bunch. Start with a Hippers series or a classic animal series; the limited collaborations are fun but harder to complete and pricier, so they are better as a second step than a first.

For Smiski, the Series 1 and the room-themed lines (Living, Bath, Bed, Work) are the canonical starting points. The Bath series even includes figures designed to sit at the edge of a tub or sink, which is exactly the "tuck it somewhere clever" appeal that defines the brand. A single Smiski Bath or Living box is the cleanest way to find out if the glow gimmick delights you before you commit to chasing a set.

One practical caution for both: the glow on Smiski needs light exposure to charge, and Sonny Angel's painted details are small and can wear, so whichever you pick, basic care matters. Both lines benefit from the same display and dust habits as any vinyl figure.

Odds, completion, and resale

Both use standard blind-box mechanics with a set of regulars plus a harder-to-get secret, so completing a series takes either luck, trading, or secondary-market buying. If completion is your goal, our guide on trading duplicates applies equally to both.

On resale, Sonny Angel has the edge. It has been on the market longer, has broader international recognition, and consequently moves faster and at higher peaks on platforms like eBay and Mercari — rare variants especially. Smiski has a real but narrower secondary market with lower ceilings. To be clear: neither is something to buy as an investment. But if liquidity matters to you — the ability to recoup something later — Sonny Angel is the safer bet.

So which should you collect?

Choose Sonny Angel Hippers if you want variety, themed storytelling, a visible curated display, and the strongest resale liquidity of the two. It is the better pick for completionists and anyone who enjoys the hunt.

Choose Smiski if you want something quieter and quirkier, you love the glow gimmick, and you would rather tuck figures into your space than build a shelf. It is the better pick for low-key, playful collectors — and slightly cheaper to start.

If you are still unsure, start with a single box of whichever aesthetic you keep coming back to. At ~$12 a box, the cheapest way to learn which hobby you actually enjoy is to try one.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper to collect, Sonny Angel or Smiski? They are close. A base Smiski runs about $12 and a standard Sonny Angel about $12–$14, with Hippers slightly higher. Smiski is marginally cheaper to start, but once you chase sold-out figures in either line, both climb into the $20s.

Which holds resale value better? Sonny Angel, generally. It has longer market exposure and broader recognition, so it sells faster and peaks higher, especially for rare variants. Smiski's secondary market is real but narrower. Treat either as a hobby, not an investment.

Can I display Smiski like Sonny Angels? You can, but you would be fighting the design. Smiski are made to be tucked into small spaces and seen glowing in the dark; Sonny Angels are made to be lined up and displayed. Match the line to how you actually want to show them off.