Francesca Martinez knows cute. She owns Tooti Frooti, a Midtown Reno shop lined wall to wall with Calico Critters, Sonny Angels, Miffy products, Chiikawa and Sanrio characters. The store itself is a product of the trinket craze that has recently gone mainstream, though it has been around for decades.

Martinez, who also owns Bad Apple, a more edgy alternative to Tooti Frooti’s pastel aesthetic, said she opened the shop after customers kept asking about Sonny Angels.

When asked how the cute craze got started, Martinez said the internet played a big role in their popularity.

“I think it’s always been popular, but the accessibility wasn’t there,” Martinez said.

The appeal of adorable collectibles isn’t new — Cabbage Patch dolls in the 1980s, Sanrio and Beanie Babies in the 1990s. But Marti

See Full Page