Every year there is another popular trend that spreads through the hallways. From fidget spinners to the Renegade, Parker has become obsessed with certain online trends over the years. This school year, many different trinkets and toys have become extremely popular. There have been obsessions with Labubus, Needohs, and now, Sonny Angels. Sonny Angels are collectable figurines of a little angel boy that come in surprise blind boxes. They come in a variety of different headgear and designs that can be collected over time. These little angels are now seen all around the school, specifically on laptops and phone cases. 

Among many students obsessed with these Sonny Angels, sophomore Ella Rosse is a collector of the figurines. “I love Sonny Angels because it’s so fun to collect all the different types,” she said. “There are so many different versions of them, and it’s like an adrenaline rush. You just want to keep buying them again and again.” Over time, Rosse has grown quite the collection with over 85 Sonny Angels of all different kinds and varieties. She puts them everywhere, from her room to her car. Even though Rosse is a Sonny Angel collector, she didn’t find out about Sonny Angels on her own. “I think it’s definitely a trend on social media and people love to follow the recent trends,” she said. “I think once people saw it on laptops, everyone got so curious about them and then bought one for themselves.” As Rosse continues to collect the figures, she believes that they will be popular for a long time. “It’s something that you collect so even if people do get rid of them, they will probably sell them because you can make so much money off of them.” 

While many Upper School students might like Sonny Angels as much as Rosse, sophomore Uriel Castañeda criticizes the trend. “I don’t like Sonny Angels because I think they’re very consumeristic,” he said. “They are an unnecessary consumeristic choice someone could make, and it’s a waste of money that the school will get over with.” Castañeda doesn’t own any Sonny Angels and won’t judge someone who does because “It’s not my money. I think Parker kids can buy whatever. If Parker people are against consumerism then I shouldn’t see a Sonny Angel on their computer.” Castañeda doesn’t believe that this is the first time the Upper School has fallen for consumerism. For example, “When we went from Stanleys, to nobody having them, then to Owalas,” Castañeda said. 

Over time, trends disappear and change. Rosse believes that the Sonny Angel obsession could lead to a new figurine. “I think Smiskis could definitely be something that could maybe pop up or just Hippers in general because there are so many different brands that sell Hippers.” Hippers are a subtype of Sonny Angels that can stick onto objects such as phones and laptops, and Smiskis are another version of Sonny Angel figurines that are less popular than the original Sonny Angels. Rosse is already coming up with new ideas for the next trend. “Next year, I think near fall, there is going to be something new or Sonny Angels will get replaced,” Rosse said. Along with Rosse, senior Paige Randell also is wondering what the new obsession will look like. “I think Popmart is either going to come out with something new, or people are going to get actual figures and put them on their keychains rather than their phones and computers,” Randell said, and she believes the reason the trend might end is the quality of these figurines. “I’ve seen so many headless Sonny Angels around.” 

While some students are obsessed with them and some dislike the idea of them, other students think these angel figures benefit the Parker community. “I like Sonny Angels because I think that they’re cute,” senior Paige Randell said. “I don’t personally have one, but I think it’s nice to see all of them on people’s laptops and phone cases.” Randell believes that these figurines bring a positive impact to our Upper School, “I think Sonny Angels allow us as older kids to interact with something that might be seen as childish,” she said. “I think it’s really cool for us to interact with each other over it.” The trend brings back memories of childhood toys for Randell. “I think this all originated from Shopkins, and I think everyone is trying to chase the high from when they used to have Shopkins,” Randell said. Shopkins were toys that also came in a blind boxes with different versions and characters to collect. “I think it’s something childlike that we can all be a part of,” Randell said.