As a serious Sonny Angel collector, I didn't know how I ended up keeping 36 dolls in my dorm room, so I had to relocate them back home. Especially when people wanted to take my "angels," they couldn't get enough of them. I mean, how could you? These Kewpie-esque, three inch dolls with round baby bottoms won my heart exactly a year ago in my small hometown of Taos, NM.

How I discovered Sonny Angels:

A quirky toy store, perhaps the only of its kind in town, had blind box cartons that drew my eye; the hexagon packaging was unique, I fell in love with the little babies, adoring the bright, smooth finish of the boxes. I took some home just out of curiosity, I was assuming I was going to get a few tiny little babies in each. When I opened them at home, there was one figurine per package, but I didn't mind. I was hooked. I got the ones that I wanted too; a monkey angel, a watermelon angel and a pineapple angel.

My collection:

Then my collection started to get out of control, and I admitted to others that I was a collector when I found myself with sixteen angels. My next goal was to complete the french pastry collection, which I was extremely behind in, a year or so to be exact. It didn't stop me from finding each box online and having the grace of not having duplicates. I got all of them except the special surprise pastry angel.

The History of Sonny Angels:

Sonny Angels originated in Japan in 2005; it chased after the look of a Kewpie doll and not long after, the first blind-box series was introduced, including Sonny Angel dressed as a lion, a rabbit, a panda, etc. There are over 350 angels including special edition and holiday Sonny Angels that range from Halloween to "Gee Sorry" angels. An attempt has been made with tan, Summer-edition angels, though improvements of diversity and Sonny Angel should still be considered in the near future to broaden the spectrum of skin tones, at this moment Sonny Angel dolls only have a creamy, almond complexion.

On purchasing Sonny Angels:

Starting at around six dollars, Sonny Angels can become easily addictive to collect. You can find them online or at a nearby local dealer that retails in blind-boxes.

What to do with your Sonny Angels:

A Sonny Angel collection makes any decor pop with a kitschy, vintage toy feeling your guests and little ones will always remember. A collection of Sonny dolls may be ideal for a nursery, office, or library. I keep mine in my library, just in front of my books, in a Rockette row. Depending on the colors ranging from their many disguises, you can also color coordinate your Sonny dolls, or alphabetize them from animals, to fruits and veggies, to sea life. It doesn't matter how many Sonny dolls you own, or which ones you own, all you know is that they have found a special place on the shelf and in your heart.