Fans of the viral Labubu dolls have vented their frustration after the makers pulled the toys from its UK stores following reports of customers fighting over them.
Pop Mart has said it is pausing the sale of them in all 16 of its shops until June “prevent any potential safety issues”.
The soft toys have become a TikTok trend after being worn by celebrities like Rihanna and Dua Lipa.
They sell for £13.50 to £50 in the UK, although rare editions got for hundreds of pounds on resale sites. On Friday, eBay was offering Labubu Pronounce Be Fancy Now dolls for £1,299.99.
Labubu fan Victoria Calvert told of chaos at the Pop Mart store in Westfield Stratford as customers scrambled to get their hands on the dolls. “It was just getting ridiculous to be in that situation where people were fighting and shouting and you felt scared,” she told the BBC.
She said she met other customers who had been outside since 3am and others that had camped overnight.
“When I got there there were big crowds of people hovering around the shop and there was this really negative vibe,” she said.
“People were shouting, basically saying there were no more Labubus left. I even witnessed a fight between a worker and a customer.”
Other people took to social media to report “grown men beating each other up” over the dolls.
“People hurting each other at Westfield mall over labubu (sic) is why I hate resellers,” wrote one.
The quirky monster doll character was created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung. The toys have become wildly popular since Chinese retailer Pop Mart began selling them in 2019.
Pop Mart issued a statement on Tuesday said they were pausing in-store sales “to ensure the safety and comfort of everyone”.
It said: “Due to the increasing demand for our beloved Labubus, we’ve seen a significant rise in customer turnout on restock days — with long queues forming outside our stores and Roboshops.
“To ensure the safety and comfort of everyone, we will temporarily pause all in-store and roboshop sales of THE MONSTERS plush toys until further notice.
“Please stay tuned to our social media and Discord for updates on upcoming releases.
“Online drops will continue as usual, so keep an eye out for our announcement posts to know when the next one is happening.
“We’re working hard behind the scenes to improve the shopping experience both in-store and online. Thank you for your continued support, patience, and understanding.”
Several people have responded to the Instagram post by hitting out at “scalpers”.
“Walked down Oxford street today and saw a group of men with about 4 bags full of full sets reselling them just doors down from the store,” wrote one.
Another penned: “Happy to hear .. please please find a solution for resellers buying all stock .. and not all of us can queue that early due to work :( thank you.”
One fan on social media said buyers were re-selling Labubus for £100 each, describing it as “unacceptable”. “How come they get to buy and other people can’t?!” they said.
Celebrity fans of the toys include Love Island’s Olivia Attwood, who has shared multiple videos of herself with the toys with her 2.4million Instagram followers.
Another contestant from the ITV dating show revealed she ended up “in a fight” with a woman over the sought-after toys.
Mal Nicol had queued up at Pop Mart to bag a Labubu for her 11-year-old cousin’s birthday.
The TV star vented her anger after a fellow customer cleared the shelf.
She said on TikTok: “Did I really just get in a fight with someone at Pop Mart? Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
“This b****, she bought five, she bought five. It’s actually ridiculous.
“This woman was like 37, which is fine. But if you’re reselling them, f*** off.”
