I was today years old when I learned of the new celebrity/online accessory trend: Labubu. No, it’s not a child-friendly portmanteau of an accident that happens in a lab. Labubus are dolls who are monsters who were inspired by Nordic mythology, duh. It all started 10 years ago when artist Kasing Lung created three picture books that featured many critters, including the infamous Labubu, who sports rabbit-like ears and pointy teeth. The dolls are sold by POP MART as part of their blind box toys, and their ubiquitousness skyrocketed when BLACKPINK’s Lisa started showing off her collection last year. Now the masses are standing in long lines, signing up on re-stock lists, and seeking out (often expensive) online resales for the little imps that most people clip to their handbags. When I clicked on the Labubu page of POP MART’s website, there were nine items, all out of stock, ranging in price from $18 to $960. Here’s People Mag’s reporting on this late-breaking fashion news:
The books were set in a fairy world populated by magical creatures, but the most prominent creature in the book series was Labubu, “a small monster with high, pointed ears and serrated teeth” that is “kind-hearted and always wants to help, but often accidentally achieves the opposite,” according to the site.
Though they’d existed for a decade, Labubu — which was identified as a girl — experienced a surge in popularity after BLACKPINK rapper Lisa first shared images of herself with a Labubu in April of 2024. By November of that year, the singer decorated her Christmas tree with Labubu toys.
In a November 2024 video with Vanity Fair, Lisa opened up about her love of Labubu and related POP MART blind box toys.
“I just got into POP MART early this year, and I learned about this from one of my close friends in Thailand,” she told the outlet.
…In the time since, the Labubu craze has exploded. Rihanna was spotted at the airport carrying a pink Labubu on her Louis Vuitton tote bag earlier this year in February, while [David] Beckham was gifted a brown Labubu from his daughter, Harper Beckham — which he promptly clipped onto his black leather bag — in May.
[Kim] Kardashian, meanwhile, is developing a small collection of her own — she posted a photo of 10 dolls to her Instagram Stories on April 30.
Dua Lipa, Lizzo, and Simone Biles are among the other celebrities that have been spotted on social media with a Labubu in their possession.
Since going viral, fans of Labubu have started sharing unboxing videos online, and have taken to dressing up their dolls in handmade accessories or outfits purchased from websites such as Amazon.
POP MART’s Labubu blind box series starts at $8.99 USD, but often sell out quickly. Labubu reselling has also spawned a market of bootleg Labubu products, which fans lovingly call “Lafufu” as a play on the name.
The only thing better than the copycat name “Lafufu,” is the fact that People Mag goes on to explain to us that it’s a play on the name, lol. (Sidenote: there is definitely a dog somewhere on this planet already named Lafufu, and she’s probably a poodle.) People also goes on in their article to chronicle a few non-celebrity Labubu lovers, and how the dolls have affected their lives. Hey, if it makes you happy, enjoy the sh-t out of those little monsters! I don’t begrudge anyone their simple pleasures in these times. Personally, I like to think that I don’t follow trends, but instead buy things that I genuinely respond to. Of course, I’m also a contrarian, which is hugely helpful in this endeavor. So I will not be acquiring my own Labubu for a trio of reasons: 1) I don’t like being told what to do and/or like, 2) the facial aesthetic on these critters is giving me “What if a Cabbage Patch doll and Where The Wild Things Are monster had a baby,” which doesn’t do it for me, and 3) I remember Beanie Babies. So I’ll just be watching from afar, wondering if my pup My Guy will let me bring someone new home to be named Lafufu, and wait for the inevitable Labubu-Stanley Cup collaboration. At which point the world will implode.
Photos via social media and YouTube
Lol, I remember Beanie Babies, too. People were going wild and paying hundreds for, essentially, little fuzzy bags of beans.
Don’t forget the Cabbage Patch Dolls.
I knew people who had museum cases in their homes filled with Beanie Babies. One of the most successful scams ever.
LOL I still have three beanie babies (one was a gift, and I bought an otter and a black bear way back when they were first released.) I just thought they were cute, tho I never would have paid crazy money for them. One day I’ll probably give them to my nieces, but until then they’ll stay on my bookshelf.
They remind me of less cute monchhichis
MONCHICHIS!!!! I’ve been telling my daughters the same thing!!! My girls are the “target market” so these ‘bubu’s are hanging all over the book bags and purses in this house🙄
Beanie Babies were the rage in my household. We are moving and we had a collection of over 300 there were lots of duplicates and some of the rare ones. We gave them to our daughter who helped get all of them. She can now deal with them lol. These new things in my opinion are not cute.
Thrift stores are full of Squishmallows, so something had to come next.
(Also overcrowding thrift stores: word art signs, poured acrylic craft projects and decor, Rae Dunn, waaaay too much Shein clothing, and tons of those “drink-and-paint party” canvases.)
Oh, my, I’d be too embarrassed to give away a drink & paint canvas! It would have to be in a bonfire! (As long as it wasn’t toxic paint.)
Then there was the time that “Beanie Babies Day” at Yankee Stadium happened to coincide with David Wells pitching his fabled perfect game. But because so many in the stands weren’t actually baseball fans, just there for the limited edition Beanies, people got bored by a no-hit game and started leaving en masse at the top of the 8th. I’ll never forget the silent riot those poor, confused folks caused, with die hard Yankee fans pelting them mercilessly with jumbo popcorn boxes and beer cups. Chaos, but eerily quiet, because everyone who knew what was happening was holding their breath. lol
Okay, Labubu looks scary, so I can see why people would want that mouthful of shark teeth to protect their bag. But on a Christmas tree? Sorry, Lisa, not in my area!
Sigh. I’m too old to appreciate this. I can understand children hanging these things on their backpacks for school, but adults? Particularly those comfortable enough to afford luxury handbags that they then decorate with these cheap little toys. They’re cute, sure, but really? On your Hermes?
They’ve reminded me of Troll dolls or Garbage Pail Kids — the not necessarily obvious cuteness. People dress them up. Give them tattoos in actual parlors. It’s an interesting trend