Have you been seeing people suddenly talk about “Labubus” and “Lafufus” everywhere and are unsure what those cute-but-ugly toys actually are and where they came from? Same here. Let’s investigate together.
What the heck is a Labubu?
A Labubu is a vinyl plush toy doll, a depiction of a little monster elf created by Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung. It is part of Lung’s illustrated book series, The Monsters, inspired by Nordic folklore. The series, featuring the tribe of well-meaning female elves known as Labubus, was first released in 2015.
The little dolls have pointy rabbit-like ears, big eyes and a grin, usually with nine teeth, that one could describe as creepy-yet-cute (or, really, just creepy).
How did they become so popular?
Despite the book series 10 years ago, Labubus did not become popular until Lung teamed up with Chinese toy company Pop Mart in 2019.
According to Pop Mart, the first Monsters series launch “broke the sales record in the art toy category”.
In 2023, they were first released as bag charms and thus began the toys trajectory into “wearable pop art”.
Global starts like Rihanna and Dua Lipa have been spotted wearing their Labubu bag charms. Last year, Lisa from BLACKPINK was spotted with one as well and then spoke about her “secret obsession” with Labubu dolls and... well, now we’re here.
L for Lisa, Labubu, and Louis Vuitton. pic.twitter.com/pUdSFf1EAs
— Lily💥 (@flouwie27) May 20, 2024
The success of these dolls is such that Pop Mart’s founder Wang Ning has become China’s 10th richest man and the company has said that its revenue has more than tripled in the first half of this year.
But it’s not just celebrities who are responsible for turning Labubus into this global phenomenon. Tiktok has played a big part in its success, with videos of Labubu unboxings often going viral on the platform.
The success of these dolls is such that Pop Mart’s founder Wang Ning has become China’s 10th richest man and the company has said that its revenue has more than tripled in the first half of this year.
Perhaps the most telling sign of the toy’s popularity is the fact it has led to the creation of “Lafufus”, knockoff toys that are cheaper and easier to find.
Does the word ‘Labubu’ have any special meaning?
Nah.
So... are they for kids or for adults?
A toy for kids, a collectible for grown-ups, Labubus are for everyone. They’re for anyone who can get their hands on one (which is no small feat as they keep selling out).
I don’t get it – what’s the appeal?
Much could be theorised about the mass appeal of Labubu dolls in the current socio-economic context but, for fear of losing your attention, I’ll try to dial the nerd factor down.
The truth is, Labubu’s success is not really anything new. Remember Beanie Babies? Or the trading cards you hassled your parents to buy? Or, more recently, Sonny Angels? Let’s not kid ourselves, we all love a collectible.
Whether or not you want to buy a Labubu, it’s important that, as consumers, we understand how their marketing machine taps into our instincts and makes so many of us want one.
There are three main reasons why Labubus have become the latest global object of desire:
- The blind box effect
Labubus come in “blind boxes”, meaning you don’t actually know which doll you are getting when you part with your hard-earned cash. While that might sound extremely silly, (why would I buy something if I don’t even know what I’m buying?), as a former child, I know these tactics have worked very well on me before.
Blind boxes have been shown to have similar effects on the brain as gambling does – they tap into the reward system of the brain and you get a dopamine hit when you unbox it and discover what’s inside.
As Eugene Y. Chan, Associate Professor of Marketing at Toronto Metropolitan University, explains in a piece in The Conversation, blind boxes’ success “relies on a psychological principle known as variable-ratio reinforcement – the same reward pattern that makes slot machines so addictive”.
“You never know exactly when you’ll score the item you’re after, but the possibility that the next box might contain it keeps people coming back. This unpredictability keeps people engaged, especially when the potential reward is framed as rare or valuable,” he adds.
In essence, you’re not just buying the toy, you’re also buying the experience, and the excitement, of opening the toy. Over time, people can become addicted to the dopamine hit they get from the excitement and instant gratification of opening a blind box. Pop Mart knows this and capitalises on it.
- Manufactured scarcity
When you buy one of those blind boxes, there is a chance you might end up with a rare Labubu (a one-in-72 chance, apparently). This is a well known marketing tactic referred to as manufactured scarcity.
Could Pop Mart make the same number of every Labubu doll? Sure, they could, but then you wouldn’t buy more blind boxes in the hope the next one will contain a rare one. Plus, these limited-edition ones have an astonishing resale value – a rare Labubu sold on eBay for more than NZ$17,000 this month and a rare 131cm, first-generation Labubu was sold at auction in Beijing for $282,000 in June.
- The lipstick effect
This is where the socio-economic context of 2025 comes in as an explanation for the astronomical success of Labubus. Essentially, the success of Labubus is what is commonly referred to as a “recession indicator”. Research has shown that, in times of economic downturn (and my fellow elder millennials have seen a lot of those), small luxuries tend to sell really well. When money is tight and people can’t afford big purchases like homes or holidays or butter, they treat themselves to smaller treats or what’s commonly referred to as “affordable luxury” like a lipstick or, these days, a Labubu.
Much more could be said about why Labubus are so successful, including how they tap into millennials’ sense of nostalgia. And sure, we can argue it’s a dumb thing to spend money on, but so are a lot of things and all these tactics work on consumers for a reason, so blaming the consumer for falling for them is far too simplistic.
Why are they so controversial?
Okay, I know I’ve just defended your right to spend your money on silly little treats but we cannot overlook the devastating effect overconsumption is having on our planet – and Labubus, the Stanley cups of 2025, cannot be seen outside that context.
Do we really think we will be wearing Labubu bag charms in a year’s time? Probably not and that is something to consider as the Labubu craze continues to spread on TikTok and fuelling the raging fire of overconsumption. We’re potentially months away from seeing these creatures in op shops everywhere (and, worst of all, landfills everywhere). And it’s not because buying a Labubu is inherently bad – it’s not. It’s just that the way these things are marketed to consumers means a lot of people are buying several of them – and that’s where it becomes problematic: it’s less of a fun collection and more “engineered desire” and “compulsive consumption”, as Chan points out in his piece.
Aside from that, there have been other controversies that have been Labubu-adjacent, including a woman on TikTok who put her Labubu in blackface.
Someone also left a Labubu on Karl Marx’s grave which... no, I actually cannot say anything else about it. Let’s move on.
A Labubu was left on Karl Marx’s grave. pic.twitter.com/afb0spKAzw
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 24, 2025
People are also getting into literal fistfights over these dolls. In cities like London or Seoul, Pop Mart was forced to stop selling the dolls for “safety” reasons, as people kept getting into fights over them.
If you dig deep enough (I don’t recommend that you do), you’ll also find conspiracy theories linking Labubu dolls to demons.
How much do they cost?
There’s quite a price range. You can find them at Pop Mart for as little (!) as $39 but the rarer ones can cost thousands of dollars.
One thing worth mentioning is that these dolls appear to have some serious resale value. Because of the blind-box aspect of each purchase, a lot of groups have also popped up on Facebook and other sites for people to exchange or resell their repeated Labubus.
Okay cool, I still want one. Where can I get one?
Seriously, no judgment here. The world is an oppressive hellscape these days and we all deserve a little treat every now and then. People will shame others for buying Labubus while engaging in other environmentally-damaging behaviours so it’s important to keep some perspective that, while Labubu is currently the cute-but-creepy face of overconsumption, it’s far from the only culprit.
If you are sure this is something you want to spend your money on, you can find them in New Zealand at their official retailer, Pop Mart, but also on Trade Me, and even Farmers as well as other small retailers that stock Pop Mart products.