Are Mini Brands the new miniatures?

Imagine pushing a tiny shopping cart filled with equally tiny versions of your favorite household brands – from snacks to beauty products, kitchen essentials to electronics. Each miniature is meticulously crafted to replicate the real thing. 

You’ve just entered the world of Mini Brands.

It’s a craze that’s widespread on TikTok. Unpackaging one of these white plastic balls gives you a L’Eggs vibe (if you are old enough to remember pantyhose packaged this way), and inside is a cornucopia of everyday items in about 1:6 scale. These miniatures have captured the attention the young and old.

One Washington Post journalist said that Mini Brands “fills her with existential dread.” She opens her article about the minis with, “Is there anything that exemplifies late-stage capitalism better than this?”

I agree. Are we so enamored with our products that we need mini ones in our lives? If you are of the age to purchase the products, does it give you an undeniable cute vibe of your favorite products that you cannot live without? Some critics say it’s also a marketer’s strategy to engage youth with a product even before they know they need it. Mini Brans consumer base starts at 5 years old. Really? Does a kindergartner need to know what Barbasol is? 

So I bought a few to see what all the hubbub was about. I opened a Minute Maid jug of orange juice, a bag of Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish, Hershey's chocolate syrup and the smallest Scotch packing tape. You'd swear it would work.

Then one came with something entirely unexpected. 

I received a mini FedEx box that I have to admit was adorable. I could tell something heavy was in it, so opened the tiny slot at the end of the box.

Out slid a gold coin with what I thought was a Corgi dog exclaiming, “WOW.” Talk about existential dread. It was a Bitcoin. Confounded, I looked at the chart of items. Surely this was a mistake. This is not a mini, and I was a little disappointed that this bizarre coin replaced what could have been a mini. After consulting the chart, I found that this was "ultra rare." Lucky me. It also came with some French francs. Are they a thing anymore?

Tell me, has anyone else gone down this rabbit hole? I feel as a Gen Zer, I just don't get Mini Brands.