Move over Squishmallows, there’s a new toy here to steal your heart and also your wallet. The Labubu, an ambiguous doll with pointy ears, big eyes, and a grin showing nine exact pointy teeth, has in a surprising twist, become China’s newest soft power. Some call it a gremlin, some call it downright ugly, and most can't seem to get enough of it, but the infamous plush actually finds its origins in Hong-Kong born artist Kasing Lung’s illustrated book series, “The Monsters”. The series which was released in 2015, revolves around a playful tribe of female elves called Labubus. According to Lung, the creatures are kind hearted and ready to help, although often chaotic in their attempts to do so. The series features at least a hundred Labubus, with each having their own adorable storyline. Following the book series, Lung also released a toy collection of the characters, later teaming up with Chinese toy company Pop Mart in 2019. This marked the rise of the Labubu, with the plush starting a craze within post-pandemic China in 2022, seeming to serve as a form of emotional escape for many. The popularity then spread to South-East Asia, and finally broke into the global market in April 2024, thanks to K-pop idol Lisa who posted with her collection of dolls on Instagram.
Now, the little gremlin doll has been donned by the likes of Rihanna, Dua Lipa, David Bekham, Kim Kardashian, the Thai royal family, and almost every one of your NRI friends. The internet seems to be foaming at the mouth for these dolls, but what exactly is their appeal? While their niche anti-perfectionist, nostalgia driven design certainly plays a role, the popularity more so feels attributed to the blind box and unboxing culture that has become rampant on the internet.
Labubus are not just sold in the open for you to pick the color and make of your choice, but in packages where the type of doll isn’t revealed unless you spend your money on it. This creates not only an element of suspense, but also wonderful content for influencers to post online for millions of views.
The popular blind boxes offer six possible designs of Labubus, with a 1-in-72 chance of getting the elusive secret Labubu, a clever tactic which pushes the consumer into a sort of obsessive gamble. While the toys themselves sell for about $28 in the US, their resale value has gone up to as expensive as $150 for the same doll. You can now buy these dolls from official stores in more than 30 countries, and yet, they sell out in a matter of seconds, with rare editions such as the mint green life-size Labubu recently selling for A$230,000 in an auction. Pop Mart’s shares have skyrocketed by more than 500% in the last year, with about 40% of their revenue coming from global sales in 2024.
Despite religious influencers likening the Labubu to ancient demons and possessed dolls, the toy craze seems to be positive, especially for China. For years, China has tried to boost its image,
away from its global perception as an authoritarian state; but what the government couldn’t do, a quirky toy has, and all by accident. Like yoga is India’s soft power, the Labubu is China’s. It is slowly taking away from the nation’s negative press following the pandemic, and branding the country as “playful”.
That’s right, the Labubu doesn’t just reflect the global consumer culture, it is also a symbol for political strategy.
This article is authored by Rishima Mosali from Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Pune. Intern at Deccan Chronicle,