For Richer or Poorer: People’s Anik-Anik

With the rise of consumerism of toys such as dolls and figurines in blind boxes, the use of the term anik-anik also rose as a common slang. But somehow, even the innocent use of such a term has sparked ridicule and the need to “educate” users.

It started when netizens pointed out the origin of the word anik-anik. They said that the “real anik-anik” are discarded stuff that are personal to you that you refuse to throw away,” like bus stubs from when you travel, movie tickets, price tags, pins, etc. The prevalence of the use of the word anik-anik to pertain such goods as figurines from blind boxes like Pop Mart or Labubu keychains is far and beyond what anik-anik truly is. It is argued that these Pop Marts and Labubus are fake anik-anik, and are merely the “rich people’s” way of trying to fit in as “anik-anik gurlies.” Furthermore, these items are merely the by-product of consumerism. However, their sentiments about the word usage are skewed, if not unfounded. 

The term is more commonly believed to have been derived from the English word “knick knacks,” which are small objects displayed for their attractiveness or interest, or small objects that people keep as ornaments or toys, rather than for a particular use. Not even the KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino defined the word anik-anik. 

Additionally, to connote that buying collectible items or toys equates to consumerism is a logical fallacy of hasty generalization. Like any other social concept, consumerism is not a black-or-white term. It’s not entirely good nor is it entirely bad.
To end, like any other social phenomenon, linguistics or language is progressive and dynamic. It changes as the world progresses and by the way people adopt it. Trying to qualify what a fake or real anik-anik is not only classist but also arrogant—arrogant to think language is static, and arrogant to think that one can dictate what a word can or cannot represent in the 21st century.