KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — My reaction when asked about the strange furry phenomenon called Labubu was “Oh, that thing.”
That thing is a collectible figure character named Labubu, created by Kasing Lung in his Nordic fairy tale picture books.
The tiny monster with serrated teeth and high pointy ears is, I’m told, not even the most popular of Chinese blind box maker Pop Mart’s series.
At least, it wasn’t until Blackpink’s Lisa came along.
It is apparently Lisa’s favourite of Pop Mart’s limited edition collectible figures, sold in random boxes where you don’t get to see what you get prior to buying one.
She’s been seen with a huge Labubu plush as well as a tiny Labubu bag chain and if there’s one thing that K-pop is expert at — it’s driving up sales of anything a K-pop star markets or uses.
Her bandmate Rosé has also been seen with her own Labubu in an Instagram story, which probably helped increase the character's popularity.
Who, or, what is Labubu?
Labubu is one of The Monsters, a series of characters created by Kasing Lung, and besides Labubu there’s also Zimomo, Spooky, Tycoco and Pato.
None of the other monsters have had K-pop stars loving on them, tough luck.
What’s Pop Mart?
It’s a Chinese toy company mostly known for its blind boxes and other merchandise including soft toys and figurines.
Before Labubu, Pop Mart was already popular among collectors who loved the thrill of collecting blind boxes and gambling on the hopes of getting a specific toy.
Fun fact: many Pop Mart collectors were attracted to the brand by other figure lines such as the winsome Molly, edgy Skullpanda and cherubic Dimoo.
Prices can range from RM49 or so for blind boxes to hundreds of ringgit for figures.
Is it worth the hype?
Well, I had to ask an actual Pop Mart diehard for that. I met Dollsnsuch (a doll collector who prefers to go by a pseudonym) online and chatted to them about Labubu and their thoughts about the whole craze.
Dollsnsuch is primarily a doll collector but occasionally purchased Pop Mart figures from the Minico, Molly and Dimoo lines.
“Labubu was not a favourite until Pop Mart launched the Exciting Macaron series,” they said.
It was the pastels that drew the collector in and that this particular range of Labubu dolls was small enough to use as a bag charm, had some articulation and you could even buy them clothes.
At the time, Labubu wasn’t as hard to get and you wouldn’t even need to queue.
After Lisa, however, things changed drastically.
Dollsnsuch is from Penang said they had to go down to Selangor just to queue for them, but even then often had to leave their contact details for when a restock happened as Labubu would sell out quickly.
The proliferation of fake Labubus has also made the process of procuring one even more fraught, and driven up prices on the resell market.
Dollsnsuch said Labubu fans should be careful about purchases due to the fakes, to read reviews and do their research so as not to get conned.
“To Pop Mart, please produce more, don’t let the scalpers take advantage of your loyal customers,” they said.
How long will the craze last? Alas, as long as Lisa keeps getting spotted with the collectible character, Pop Mart collectors will have to brace themselves (and their wallets).
