Why Everyone is Obsessed With Labubus Right Now

When Gina Chen noticed her older sister’s smiling monster plush doll, she knew she had to have one for herself. “It hit a nostalgic spot, and it was also just something fun,” she shared. “It wasn’t anything that was too serious. It was silly.”

The doll that Chen now owns is called a Labubu, which happens to be the latest must-have toy. The toothy, grinning monster was a character created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung in 2015 as part of a “Monsters” storybook series. Now, the monster is marketed and sold exclusively as a doll by Pop Mart, a China-based retailer that specializes in selling collectible toys and figurines

The trend really skyrocketed when Lisa, the BlackPink K-pop idol, posted images of her Labubu collection on Instagram for her over 100 million followers. 

“Once celebrities were wearing them, it just really took off,” Chen noticed. 

Now, everyone has them. Or at least, everyone wants one. From Rihanna to Kim Kardashian, these exclusive monster dolls have taken over the internet. Influencers and celebrities customize their dolls with clothes and accessories (such as tattoos), and even often use them as keychains on their luxury bags. 

According to AP News, Pop Mart’s revenue has doubled to over $1.81 billion USD in the last year. The company’s annual report showed that Labubus alone accounted for 22% of its overall revenue in 2024 alone. 

Whenever the Pop Mart website restocks the little dolls, they sell out in minutes, making them nearly impossible to get. Abby Kuang, a 20-year-old student at New York University, is determined to get her hands on one. “I’ve looked and looked, but they’re never actually in store,” Kuang explained. 

This scarcity has created a market for fake counterfeit Labubus, also known as “Lafufus.” Until she comes across an authentic Labubu, Kuang has settled for purchasing a much cheaper Lafufu, which she dressed up with a floral dress. 

“Pop Mart did a really great job with their stores,” Chen added. “They made everyone go to those stores and try to buy them. It’s sort of become a destination spot.”

Generation Cuteness

Cute and fluffy figurines have appealed to consumers for decades. 

In 1974, the Japanese illustrator Yuko Shimizu created “Hello Kitty.” This simple and innocent character embodied the kawaii aesthetic, which means “cute” in Japanese. While Hello Kitty was originally created to promote young girls to be good wives and wise mothers, it has turned into a multi-billion dollar brand. In the ’80s, Cabbage Patch Dolls were all the rage. And, in the ’90s, everyone wanted Beanie Babies. People even saved the toys, thinking they would increase in value. 

Recently, Sonny Angels have also taken Gen Z by storm. Like Labubus, the 3-inch collectible figurines are sold in blind boxes, so collectors purchase them without knowing which design or character they will receive. In early 2023, the hashtag #sonnyangels surpassed 95 million views on TikTok, The New York Times reported. They were used as phone charms, house decorations, and even inspired a Saturday Night Live skit in 2024. 

Cary Lee, a professor at the University of Newcastle in Australia with a Ph.D. in Marketing, specializes in collecting behavior among consumers. He explained that because Asian culture is becoming more and more globalized, the world has embraced this into popular culture, as seen through K-pop, anime, fashion, art, and Labubus. 

“We’ve seen a greater use of collecting used as a marketing technique,” Lee noted. “It’s inducing an almost primal part of people.”

Low Supply, High Demand

Ever heard of the Golden Ticket in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”? In the book, Willy Wonka, an esteemed candy factory owner, releases five highly exclusive Golden Tickets hidden in the packaging of his chocolate bars. The news induces a chocolate bar craze, where one parent even uses his own peanut factory to rapidly open the candy bar wraps. 

The marketing technique for Labubus follows the same concept as the impossible-to-get Golden Ticket. Labubus come in blind boxes, meaning buyers must open their packaging to find out what figurine they will get. 

According to Lee, the concept dates back hundreds of years. In the late 19th century, tobacco stands would sell their products in collectable tins. 

“People used to buy the tobacco just for the tin, rather than for the tobacco themselves,” Lee said. “[Marketers] used that sort of technique. It’s evolved over the years, and now we’re seeing it more in mainstream items.”

Through his research, Lee has found that consumers experience a range of emotions when purchasing blind boxes. “It starts with an impulse to take a look,” he noted. “They’re lured by that mystery of what it can be.”

Then, the anticipation of what is inside the box excites the buyer, more than the actual collectible item itself. Then, when the item is revealed, it prompts either a happy or disappointed reaction. 

“Either way, the cycle repeats again,” Lee added. “It could be that you’re happy with what you got, and you want to buy another one, or you want to try your luck and try again because you’re not happy with what you got.”

Lee noted that oftentimes, the thrill of opening a blind box is not just about collecting items, but about the possibility of obtaining something scarce. In the case of Labubus, there is a small chance that you could open an extremely rare version of the doll. These limited-edition series have resold through secondhand markets for thousands of dollars. 

For example, an eBay listing for a limited edition Labubu x Vans Old Skool Vinyl Plush Doll sold for 10,000 AU, or approximately $7,000 USD. Back in June, a Chinese auction house even sold a life-sized Labubu for over $150,000. 

“If you get something like that, it will make you feel really happy and really lucky,” Lee noticed. “It’s also a sign that you can show to other people, almost like a trophy.”

The Rise of “Kid-dults”

Lee found that collecting items was a concept that extended beyond a particular demographic. It was a phenomenon that reached buyers of all ages, incomes, and races. 

However, one of the primary common buying factors was nostalgia. For example, as a child, Chen would decorate her bags with little keychains and charms. “There’s a little bit of this feeling, this need to differentiate yourself,” Chen remarked. “There’s something about charms as ways of self identifying and being different. And I think that’s a little bit of what Labubu is. Everyone has a different one.”

Kuang also grew up surrounded by Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters. Recently, she has been growing her collection of Sonny Angels and Smitskis. “If you know me, you know that I love little cute things,” Kuang added. “I’m a very loud person, but I still have a child side of me.”

According to Lee, this concept of adults buying toys coincides with what he calls the rise of “Kid-dults.” 

“Basically, adults find toys for themselves,” he explained. “It’s really fueling a lot more, a lot more revenue into the toy industry.” 

Compared to when they were children, adults now have the buying capacity for toys they could not get themselves as children. Additionally, the lack of control people experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic created a lingering sense of isolation. 

“One of the ways that people found to regain control was through collecting,” Lee said. “Instead of groceries or going out or watching movies, they were spending money on these things, because they could enjoy it at home.” 

This search for companionship has created a space for collectors to find community and commonality with other people. “We collect things for various reasons,” Lee remarked. “Maybe for Labubus, it can be for that social membership, that feeling of belonging with other people.”

From personal experience, Lee has noticed a strong desire for second-generation Asian people to reconnect with their heritage. “Perhaps [collecting] is a way that they’re finding like-minded people,” he said. “I think those things would resonate quite well in Asian communities.”

The Labubu craze could simply be a fleeting trend, or a deeper way for consumers to find community. 

“I like these things because they’re cute and they bring me joy,” Chen reflected. “You know, I look at it, and it gives me a chuckle. It brings a little joy and happiness into your everyday, mundane life.”

Answer: It’s a lafufu!