Portsmouth toy collector uses TikTok to go viral worldwide with large fanbase in Japan

LOOKING to overcome pandemic boredom, one Drayton resident took up an unusual hobby – and now tens of thousands of online fans love watching her unbox quirky toys.
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In July, web designer Ciara Emery decided to use her new TikTok account to post a video of her opening a new range of colourful Barbie toys.

She had no idea that less than a year later it would turn into a hobby with more than 170,000 followers eagerly awaiting her next toy unboxing, and that she would have joined the ranks of Portsmouth’s social media influencers.

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The 30-year-old said: 'My husband is a massive toy collector, and we were in WHSmiths buying a lot of Pokemon cards. They have all these new toys out, including some colour-reveal Barbies.

Ciara Emery at her home in Drayton with some of the toys that she unboxes. Picture: Habibur RahmanCiara Emery at her home in Drayton with some of the toys that she unboxes. Picture: Habibur Rahman
Ciara Emery at her home in Drayton with some of the toys that she unboxes. Picture: Habibur Rahman

‘And I thought I really want to get one – and there was nothing else to do at that point, because of pandemic restrictions.

'I didn't know there was a trend of watching kids open toys online.

'The video that blew everything up was a Bloom Doll video. It’s a flower pot, and you pour water on it and a doll pops up. That video went crazy.’

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Some of the toys that manufacturers have sent to Ciara. Picture: Habibur RahmanSome of the toys that manufacturers have sent to Ciara. Picture: Habibur Rahman
Some of the toys that manufacturers have sent to Ciara. Picture: Habibur Rahman
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Ciara’s video of the Blume doll unboxing racked up more than 3.3 million views in a less than a month, while a video of a Micropack toy – a tiny backpack containing miniature stationery – has attracted more than a million viewers.

‘I get so many messages – thousands and thousands of messages. I get them every day from all across the world’, she said.

She added: ‘That’s the nice thing about TikTok. We’re all part of a global feed.

‘I have got a big following in Japan.’

Ciara Emery from Drayton has gone viral with her TikTok account dedicated to unboxing quirky toys. Picture: Habibur RahmanCiara Emery from Drayton has gone viral with her TikTok account dedicated to unboxing quirky toys. Picture: Habibur Rahman
Ciara Emery from Drayton has gone viral with her TikTok account dedicated to unboxing quirky toys. Picture: Habibur Rahman

As well as receiving messages, Ciara is sent free toys from manufacturers hoping for publicity.

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The Old Manor Way resident said: ‘I get sent toys worth a couple of hundred pounds every month.

‘Most of the staff is worth between £10 and £20.’

More of the toys that have helped propel Ciara to TikTok stardom. Picture: Habibur RahmanMore of the toys that have helped propel Ciara to TikTok stardom. Picture: Habibur Rahman
More of the toys that have helped propel Ciara to TikTok stardom. Picture: Habibur Rahman

But Ciara is not interested in turning her hobby into a money-making project: ‘Some of them I keep to collect, but the rest I give to friends or charity shops.

‘I have been offered money before but this is more of a hobby.

‘It doesn’t seem right to be making money from it.

‘It’s a nice, relaxing watch – I hope it’s therapeutic.’

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