Unboxing Bubble Wrapp: Kansas City's only blind box store

On the corner of Westport Road, you’ll find a teeny tiny shop full of teeny tiny boxes dubbed Bubble Wrapp. This is the spot in the Kansas City metro for buying blind box toys – mystery boxes filled with collectible figurines. 

Blind boxes aren’t a new phenomenon (anyone remember Wonder Balls?), but they are currently very popular, especially with Gen Z. Pop culture grabbed ahold of the craze thanks to beloved characters like Labubu. And geeky peeps find their way into the blind box community through a myriad of ways but, for many, a love of Japanese culture & anime serves as their entry point since blind boxes, gacha machines, and the like are often imports from Japan.

“We have regularly worked with an artist who goes by Art Junkie. He’s a Japanese sofubi artist,” store owner Kitty told me.  “Also, on the third shelf, Chompton – he’s an artist based out of LA – makes those cute little robots.”

Kitty continued to describe the figurines and their origin stories. Some artists she found by collecting their works, prompting her to reach out and ask for collaboration. Others, like one remote couple that only speaks Japanese, she found on Instagram and messaged. 

It quickly became clear that this wasn’t an ordinary toy shop. Bubble Wrapp wasn’t like any of those big box stores with dolls haphazardly crammed throughout. No, this was a little store, for little boxes, filled with a lot of heart.

It was an art gallery in a different form. 

Kitty said that it wasn’t just her custom curated blind box toys that were created by artists. Well-known figurines, too, are often a collaboration between a big company like Pop Mart and independent artists; some are even sculptures of artists’ original characters. 

Which means you, humble blind box enthusiast, are an art collector. You are building your own collection of masterpieces.  

From Lowbrow Art to little masterpieces

As I sat and chatted with Kitty about her life path that led her to owning a blind box store – 

leaving her birthplace of California, moving around the country with her husband before landing in Kansas City, shuffling through the fashion industry, then leaning into her love of art and, finally, opening Bubble Wrapp online in 2021 – 

we inevitably discussed some of her tattoos. (I promise this is related. Just stay with me for a second.)

“Many of my tattoos are from different Lowbrow artists,” Kitty said as she gestured up and down her arm before landing on one clean, simple drawing.

“This is Tara McPherson. She’s huge in the Lowbrow Art scene. She has her own toys; she's had her own blind box series."

You see, American blind box toy culture is an extension of the Lowbrow Art Movement, aka Pop Surrealism. (See? That didn’t take long, did it?) 

According to Artsper Magazine, this movement started in LA in the 1970s, perpetuated by underground cartoonists. Fueled by “comix,” punk music, and West Coast surf culture, these artists were seen as lowbrow and unworthy of being celebrated within the realm of sophisticated mainstream art. Their style eventually spread across the globe, making its way into everything from graffiti to anime, branching off into distinct aesthetics along the way. 

“Many of those Lowbrow Artists got into the toy scene," Kitty said. “So there’s that crossover there, much like there’s a crossover with [blind box toys and] music and the skate world, which is why I have those skate decks up there.” 

Ironically, this rebellious subset is now a celebrated part of mainstream culture. And Bubble Wrapp is riding the wave of that popularity, with lines stretching down the street every time a new figurine drops. 

Unfortunately, popularity comes at a price: counterfeiting. Some figurines sell out before Bubble Wrapp is even able to get its hands on them, which leads to an uptick in fakes. 

“We verify quality and authenticity,” said Kitty. “I’m a very ethically driven person when it comes to my business.” 

Micro Byte: Bubble Wrapp is the only official Pop Mart distributor in the KC metro. That means, when you buy Pop Mart figurines from them, you are guaranteed to be giving royalties to the artists that designed the toys. 

The overwhelming popularity of these toys + being the only specialty blind box store in the metro = Bubble Wrapp having to make a huge change. 

The store will be moving from its iconic Westport location into a bigger spot within the next two years.

Where? Well, the ink isn’t dry yet, so I won’t say. Just make sure you’re watching Bubble Wrapp’s Instagram for the official news. 

The rest is for subscribers only. Become a charmer to learn:

• Bubble Wrapp’s future plans
• What Kitty thinks is missing from the Geeky KC scene
• Most underrated figurines in Bubble Wrapp according to Kitty
• Another Geeky KC store Kitty thinks you should check out