Have we reached peak Labubu? The cute-scary fuzzball bag charms are everywhere, and their celebrity fans are legion. Madonna had her 67th birthday cake made in the shape of one. Lisa wore a custom Labubu outfit onstage while BlackPink performed at London’s Wembley Stadium. Lady Gaga has been parading her custom dyed version in an outfit styled after her Abracadabra music video.
Rihanna, always ahead of the trend, had a Labubu on her Louis Vuitton bag in February this year. Marc Jacobs has a whole collection, including the covetable prawn tempura earphone case from the Wacky Mart collection, clipped to his Birkin still in its packaging. Pixie Lott is putting on a secret west London gig where only a Labubu can guarantee entry.
Tinseltown even has its own “Labubu whisperer”, stylist Marko Monroe. Monroe made Lisa’s and Gaga’s Labubu (or should that be Lagaga?), as well as 26 custom Labubus for the cast of Netflix’s Wednesday.
Their popularity has propelled Pop Mart to become one of the most valuable toy companies in the world, worth twice as much as Hasbro and Mattel combined, according to reports in the Financial Times. The Chinese company’s profits have spiked 400 per cent, as revenue hit £4.2 billion.
To celebrate, Pop Mart is making a new range of miniature Labubus. CEO Wang Ning has become one of China’s youngest and richest billionaires. Artist Kasing Lung, who created the mischievous elf-like Labubu character as part of his illustrated series The Monsters , now has a net worth of £12.8 million, according to Forbes.
People customise their Labubus with face tattoos or nail extensions
For civilian Labubu fans, getting your hands on one can be a slog. Pop Mart made the decision to pause restock events at its London stores after fights broke out in queues. Now, UK Labubu hunters have to stalk the Pop Mart Instagram ready for drops, which sell out in seconds. Resellers and scalpers are also taking advantage of the trend by buying them up and reselling at hugely inflated prices.
For those lucky enough to get a Labubu to call their own, there’s a whole range of unofficial clothes and accessories to purchase out there on the internet. People customise them by getting tattoos on their vinyl faces, or adding nail and lash extensions. There are guides to grabbing a sewing needle and some stuffing to give your a Labubu a DIY BBL.
And then there’s Lafufus. Knockoff and fake versions of varying quality that have become collectable in their own right, with fans competing to find the strangest-looking Lafufu, from upside-down faces to ones with added tails.
If you want to know how to spot a fake Labubu, you need to know how to spot a real one: firstly, they are only sold at Pop Mart (so yes, the Labubus on the counter at your local off-license likely aren’t real). Secondly, the Labubu will have a Pop Mart QR code or ID card, which traces back to the official website for verification.
If Labubu’s are no longer the hottest accessory around, that’s a lot of plastic fur that could end up in landfill
Thirdly, it will have a Pop Mart logo on its left foot. On some models, this only appears under a UV light — so can be viewed the same way you’d check for counterfeit currency.
But the Labubu backlash is growing. Sustainability campaigners are sounding the alarm over the viral nature of trends that, once considered over, result in large amounts of waste. If Labubu’s are no longer the hottest bag chain accessory around, that’s a lot of plastic fur and faces that could end up in landfill. As we learned with the Beanie Baby Bubble of the Nineties, collectable toys don’t always hold their value. Labubu would have to get to Lego status to have their older versions retain or even grow in value.
Then there’s the issue of gambling and addiction. No, your Labubu isn’t betting on the races while you sleep. But because they are sold as “blind boxes”, consumers are encouraged to keep purchasing additional items until they get their preferred colourway for a collection. Unboxing the Labubu of your dreams is the ultimate dopamine hit. Some people are now reporting their spending habits around blind boxes are getting out of hand, while a 2022 study found that engagement with blind box consumption was associated with poor mental health outcomes including suicide risk.
The cool kids have already moved on to more need-to-know collectables
Of course, as each viral trend dies another is born. The cool kids have already moved on to more need-to-know collectables — Sonny Angels, Skullpanda, and Jellycats. Once the purview of gifts for babies, the British company is coming for Pop Mart’s cutie crown. Gen Z love its anthropomorphic food bag charms (cherries! croissants!) and personality filled soft toys. The most desirable items are regularly out of stock online. A plump pigeon plushie — exclusive editions for both London and New York — is the must-have Jellycat of the season. Could tuning into what Gen Z really want actually save the high street? Read more here.
But popularity always comes at a price. This summer, Jellycat informed independent shops around the UK, some of which had been stocking their product for decades, that they would be pulling their products. “Unfortunately we're not able to support every shop that wants to stock our products ,” Jellycat said in a letter sent to 100 shops.
Arguments around overconsumption and Jellycat collecting are already popping up online. The toys are also stuffed with polyester and plastic beads — although Jellycat has switched to plastic-free packaging, and their toys are designed to be as durable as possible and able to survive the washing machine.
Like everything, Labubus and other collectable crazes never last forever (beyond the environmental impact). It’s better for your wallet and the planet to buy something only if it will truly bring you joy — and not because you saw a celebrity with one. Although maybe Madonna’s “Madudu” cake, complete with an icing cone bra, might be the sweeter way to consume a viral trend.
