Commentary: Why are consumer and F&B brands selling toys – and why are we buying them?

CNA

08-05-2025

SINGAPORE: Who would have thought that your local Sheng Siong and FairPrice would become the new battleground for collectible plushies?
On Apr 26, Milo launched limited-edition plushies of Milo drinks, kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs and gem biscuits in celebration of its 75th anniversary in Singapore. Shoppers were seen crowding around Milo displays and hoarding the chocolate malt drink. Videos circulated online of people 'massaging' Milo packets to identify the hidden toy and unboxing their hauls. Scalpers listed the plushie on resale platforms like Carousell for as much as S$200.
Milo is not an outlier. Earlier this year, KFC launched sold-out Mofusand plushies. Last week, Pizza Hut started offering a limited-edition cheeseburger melts-shaped plushie you can add to any Cheeseburger Melt order for S$6.90.
With more food brands jumping on the collectible plush bandwagon, one question begs to be asked: why are we biting? Or rather, why are we scrambling for plushies shaped like everyday food – Milo, kaya toast, eggs, burger melts – when the actual food items rarely get a square on our social media feed?
FAST TOYS BY FAST BRANDS
You could say that few things galvanise Singaporeans like the words 'free' and 'while stocks last'. The zero-price effect and engineered scarcity triggers our FOMO like clockwork – the fear of missing out on a good deal is arguably as Singaporean a trait as a love of good food.
Truth be told, this is probably the main reason many of us continue to take our 15th free brand-labelled cooler box, Tupperware or tote bag that usually ends up in the deep abyss of our cupboards and storerooms.
But this isn't just kiasu-ism at work. After all, you wouldn't expect to see someone's haul of gift-with-purchase cooler bags and Tupperwares on social media.
Rather, at the heart of it, these collectible food plushies ride the popular TikTok and Instagram trend of unboxing videos, as well as the growing 'kidult' trend. Bonus points when items come in a blind box format – like the immensely popular Pop Mart collectibles.
At first glance, it seems like a brilliant marketing idea. For a fraction of traditional advertising costs, this lands the brand on countless people's social media feeds, and perhaps even a spot in their living rooms, kitchens or bedrooms.
But these strange bedfellows have a deeper impact.
When companies primarily known for fast-moving consumer goods and fast food start producing 'fast toys' – meaning, they are cheap to produce and easy to dispose of – they turn everyday activities like eating and grocery shopping into a social sport. Like Pokemon GO, we are spurred by social media to collect them all, fuelling mindless consumption for performative rather than productive reasons.
BEYOND THE HYPE, WHAT'S THE POINT?
Every year, my helper and I put together a care package for her family back in the Philippines. We donate some of our own unused items still in good condition, and reach out to friends and family for their pre-loved items.
No matter how many times we do this exercise, I still find myself shocked by the heaps of random stuff we Singaporeans amass.
This year, added to the pile was a pristine haul of Hello Kitty plushies launched by McDonald's years ago, still in their original plastic wrapping. Once avidly collected by my uncle's niece, they have now become cast-offs.
Moreover, not all pre-loved items have hand-me-down value. Novelty items like cheeseburger melts and Milo plushies are not likely to be on the Christmas list of most underprivileged children – meaning they are more likely to be eventually incinerated.
Such products are designed to be TikTok and Instagram phenomena, and are thus known to have incredibly short trend cycles. In fact, the more hyped up the item is, the faster it's likely to lose its novelty factor, and consumers move on more quickly.
At this point, it is worth noting that many of the brands on this bandwagon – including Pizza Hut, KFC and Milo – have made public declarations of sustainability efforts and pledges. For these brands, what is the legacy of launching a product that will result in thousands of stuffed plushies and their accompanying plastic wrapping soon turning up as trash headed for landfills and incinerators come the next brand anniversary?
My family have been Milo drinkers for decades, and we noticed a few years ago that the brand had switched to paper straws to reduce plastic waste. However, these straws can become soggy and mushy if you take too long to finish your drink.
To be fair, the quality of these straws has gotten significantly better over the years, but there's still room for improvement. If the brand could invest further towards creating a sustainable but more durable straw or find a way to keep straws protected without using more plastic wrapping, that would have more lasting benefits to consumers.
In contrast, offering stuffed toys with purchases feel like the plushie equivalent of junk food – instant gratification without much lasting value for consumers.
ADDING 'EMPTY CALORIES' TO OUR LIVES
In the post-adulting era, 'kidulting' – embracing our inner child – has risen as a counterwave. This includes openly indulging our childhood love for 'kiddie' products, such as plushies and toys.
But there is a key difference. While our childhood toys and adult collectibles were once cherished and kept for years, today's social media-fuelled obsessions feel fleeting – more for public performance than personal meaning. Are we buying a memory, or just feeding the machine of consumerism?
Some meaningful questions to ask yourself: would you still want this toy in a year? Would you hug a cheeseburger melt, Milo packet or kaya toast to sleep?
Even if you manage to get the full collection, would you display it prominently on your living room shelf and admire it on quiet weekend evenings? If you did display these everyday comestibles, would your house look like a space curated for your comfort, or a supermarket aisle decked out with promotional material?
Most Singaporeans live in small spaces, so it helps to be selective about our purchases so that we don't end up having to declutter our home every few months, wasting precious hours, days and weeks of our lives – not to mention money.
The fact is that brands churn out these items because of the demand for them. They've seen how similar gimmicks pay off for their competitors – if you were willing to open your wallet for one brand, why not the other? But keep in mind that every time we do open our wallets to one company, we're signalling to countless others that we want more.