Big eyes, upright ears and a devilish smile that reveals just nine teeth! Labubu don’t look like others dolls And they have gone viral. Labubu Mania is a fact!
The Labubu are dolls were born from the imagination of artist Kasing Lung and are part of the series “The Monsters” released by Chinese Pop Mart. From Shanghai to London and from Singapore to Toronto, queues are formed outside the Pop Mart stores and automatic “Roboshop” engines for the acquisition of a Labubu – often through the famous “blind boxes” where you do not know which figure will happen to you. This grows both the anxiety and the longing.
Some collectors, such as Desmond Tan from Singapore, reach the point of shaking them skillfully before buying them, as if they will guess what is hiding inside. The big queues for the Labubu market have become headlines, sometimes even leading to quarrels.
Their popularity was launched in 2024, and they put their hand on famous stars: Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian and Blackpink’s K-Pop Lisa star, They all have Labubu. But the excitement is not limited to the stars.
“You really feel that you have succeeded when you manage to get it in such fierce competition,” says Fiona Zhang.
The global obsession with Labubu almost Tripped Pop Mart’s earnings last year – And, according to some analysts, also stimulated China’s economy which was affected by the pandemic and its tense relationships with the West.
But what is it?
Even those who know the answer are not sure they can explain the madness.
Labubu or Labubu doll is at the same time a fantastic character and a brand. The word itself means nothing. It is the name of a character from the game series “The Monsters”, the creation of artist Kasing Lung from Hong Kong.
The faces are united with plush bodies, and have a characteristic look: pointed ears, big eyes and a scandalous smile that reveals nine teeth. The internet is divided – some find them adorable, others completely bad.
According to Pop Mart’s official website, Labubu is “Good -hearted and always wants to help, but he usually ends up doing the opposite.”
Labubu have appeared in various series of “The Monsters”, such as “Big Into Energy”, “Have a Seat”, “Exciting Macaron” and “Fall in Wild”.
The Labubu brand includes other characters from its universe, which have also inspired popular dolls – such as Zimomo’s leader, Tycoco’s friend and her friend Mokoko.
Some of the dolls look very much. But lovers stand out.
Who sells the Labubu
Much of Pop Mart’s sales were the so -called blind boxes – where customers discovered what they had bought only when they opened the packaging – for a few years, when they worked with Kasing Lung for Labubu rights.
This was 2019, almost a decade after the founding of Pop Mart by businessman Wang Ning as a variety shop, similar to a one -euro store in Beijing.
When the blind boxes were successful, Pop Mart launched the first series in 2016, selling molly dolls – children’s figures created by artist Kenny Wong from Hong Kong.