SINGAPORE \u2013 Move over, Labubu and Sonny Angel.<\/p>\n
The blind box craze now appears to have reached places of worship, with figurines and amulets of Taoist deities, and their magical weapons, up for grabs.<\/p>\n
Videos making the rounds online already show a blind box vending machine dispensing various lucky charms and trinkets at the Sembawang God of Wealth Temple in Admiralty.<\/p>\n
And to increase engagement with visitors and devotees, and attract the young, Hiang Tong Keng, a Taoist temple in Tampines, has embraced the trend by rolling out \u201cblessings\u201d blind boxes for Chinese New Year 2026.<\/p>\n
Each box contains any one of 13 items, including figurines of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, and Guan Gong, the god of war.<\/p>\n
Visitors who want the boxes have to answer questions printed on a foldable challenge card, which is given to them after a $2 donation.<\/p>\n
The answers to questions like which deity holds a dragon head staff can be found in the temple grounds.<\/p>\n
For every three tasks completed, with each task mostly linked to answering a question, participants can collect a blind box. Participants who visit the temple and attempt to answer questions over several days can collect up to four boxes per person. <\/p>\n
This initiative has been part of Hiang Tong Keng\u2019s strategy since 2024 to widen its appeal, especially to young people. <\/p>\n
The temple was founded more than a century ago, and was located in Coldstream Avenue in the Siglap area before moving to its current site in Tampines Link.<\/p>\n
The temple has increased engagement via social media in English and Chinese, said Master Eugene Choy, one of the temple priests, who often appears in its social media videos.<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old said that during a discussion at the temple, the idea came up to make use of the \u201cstamp rally\u201d culture and blind box trend to introduce Taoist deities to the young during Chinese New Year. <\/p>\n
That is when many young people accompany older family members to visit the temple, he added.<\/p>\n Hiang Tong Keng temple\u2019s Master Eugene Choy said that during a discussion the idea came up to make use of the \u201cstamp rally\u201d culture and blind box trend to introduce the Taoist deities to the young during Chinese New Year.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASEL POH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Based on Singapore\u2019s latest population census in 2020, 8.8 per cent of Singapore residents who are 15 years of age or older identify as Taoists. But the proportion drops to just 4.9 per cent in the 15-to-24 age group. <\/p>\n The blind boxes were packed by Chong Jun Wei, a 16-year-old part-time staff member of Hiang Tong Keng.<\/p>\n Hiang Tong Keng\u2019s part-time staff member Chong Jun Wei packed the blind boxes.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASEL POH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Jun Wei, who will soon start his studies at a local polytechnic, also suggested handing out deity cards akin to character trading cards to visitors who show that they follow the temple\u2019s Instagram account. <\/p>\n Already, visitors of all ages, from eight-year-olds to people in their 60s, have tried to answer the quiz to get a blind box.<\/p>\n When The Straits Times visited the temple in the morning on Feb 22, teens and seniors alike could be seen walking around the temple grounds, challenge card in hand, searching for answers.<\/p>\n Germaine Neo, a 16-year-old student who was at the temple with her family to offer prayers, walked around the temple several times, looking closely at statues of various deities. For her effort, she drew a blind box which contained a phone amulet.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cIt was quite fun. I got to explore around (the temple).\u201d<\/p>\n Germaine Neo, a 16-year-old student, walked around Hiang Tong Keng in search of answers to its quiz in order to get a blind box.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASEL POH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The challenge even drew visitors who do not normally go to Hiang Tong Keng, such as Mr Sam Zhiquan, who was there for the third time over the Chinese New Year period to collect the blind boxes.<\/p>\n The 40-year-old property agent and business owner said his wife had found out about the activity online and they decided to make several visits. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s interactive and you get to know more about the temple,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>
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