Today’s first entry in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is Zuru Toys’ Mini Brands Fill The Fridge.  I reviewed this back in August, but I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to include it in this year’s Gift Guide because they sell out so fast. Finally, over the last few days, I’ve seen them locally at retail, and some online retailers have gotten them back in stock. The cool retro fridge will set you back about twenty bucks when you find them, and they will make a terrific gift for the child or adult minaturist on your holiday shopping list.

The Fill Your Fridge capsules make great stocking stuffers, at under eight bucks each, when you can find ’em.

It had been a while since I’d written about Zuru Toys’ popular Mini Brands here in the blog, but they continue to be one of the most successful items in the toy department, with a huge and loyal following among kids and adult collectors.

They’ve expanded their line of tiny brand-name replicas of consumer products into nostalgia, with their Retro line, retailer-specific lines for KFC, Disney and Ulta, plus they’ve introduced Mini Brands of books, home furnishings and other themes.  They’ve also released a line of Mini Brand Create sets, that allow kids to make their own clay miniatures of food and other items that can be cured with UV light to hold their shape permanently.

Their latest expansion is the Fill The Fridge series, which is anchored by a very cool looking tiny refrigerator.  Not only is this real metal fridge, with a terrific  Mid-Century design, a nifty miniature in its own right, but it also serves a function with its interior light, which can be switched to UV so that kids and hobbyists can safely cure their Create minis without risking exposure to the UV light.

In UV mode, the light stays on when the fridge is closed. In regular light mode, it only  lights up when the fridge is opened.

It’s not only a functional tool, but it’s also a great way to display your collection of Mini Brands.

Accompanying this fridge is a new line of Mini Brands called, natually, Fill The Fridge. This line is exclusive devoted to products that you’d keep in the fridge or freezer, and it includes a lot of stuff that hasn’t been seen before in previous Mini Brand assortments, like fresh meat and produce, and those again are going to be welcomed heavily by dioramists and dollhouse curators.

Oh…and people who play with their large-scale GI Joes and Barbies, too.  They’ll eat up this stuff. This fridge will be right at home in any Dream House or Adventure Team Headquarters, and it’s even workable with MEGO sized figures.

It’s a high-quality toy and collectible, with solid construction and a cool retro design. The only drawback is the demand.  It’s only been in the last few days that I’ve seen these at retail locally. I’ve found plenty of the empty display boxes, but the fridges have been selling extremely quickly. If you see one, grab it.

Available where toys are sold, if you’re lucky.