Pop Mart, the Chinese toy company that's world-famous for its collectible "designer" toys and "blind box" format, is officially expanding in Chicagoland. After running a pop-up store at The Shops at North Bridge on Michigan Avenue, the brand debuted its first permanent location in the greater Chicago area this past January, at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont. Now, two more brick-and-mortar outposts are scheduled to blow into the Windy City this spring: one at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg and one at Oakbrook Center Mall in Oak Brook.
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On January 26, the Woodfield Mall gave Pop Mart devotees a sneak peek of the new digs and some of the location's cute items with a post on their Instagram, writing: "Pop Mart is COMING SOON to Woodfield Mall! @PopMart_US brings imagination to life one figure at a time! From stunning designs to iconic characters, each figure tells a unique story. ✨"
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Official opening dates for the Woodfield Mall and the Oakbrook Center Mall have not been announced just yet, but Pop Mart U.S. will no doubt post information on those grand openings on their Instagram account, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled.
The new Chicago locations will join 22 full-staff Pop Mart outlets and 39 "roboshops"—a.k.a. smaller, automated kiosks—throughout the United States, with the brand now boasting a physical presence in states like California, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, Minnesota, Michigan, Oregon and, yes, Illinois. It's part of the ever-growing business' major expansion plan into the North American markets, with goals to open up to 200 shops in the U.S. alone, per Forbes.
And given the sheer global fervor over Pop Mart's coveted collectibles, including those dopamine-inducing mystery boxes, we're not surprised that Chicago locals want to get in on the fun.