They are everywhere. Almost. Well… feels that way.

I first noticed them many months ago in a shop selling toys. Not the kind you play with. Collectibles, mostly.

With dramatic features and expressions, they are cutesy and a tad creepy. Not in a bad scary way but in a quirky, appealing way. They made me laugh, ponder, and wonder. I thought whoever created them must have a massive sense of humour. The toys are hyperbolically expressive. They literally wear their emotions on their faces. Happy, cheeky, bemused, impish, surprised, all of which I can relate to.

I’m talking about Labubu. The mischievous looking monsterish-elf fluffy, plush toy with nine serrated teeth, yes, nine. I counted. Even the name sounds so cute. Lah-boo-boo.

Nieces number 4 and 5 have some versions of Labubu. A few safely tucked away in their homes, and a couple on their bags. I’ve also seen Labubus or Labubu-lookalikes dangling off people’s keychains, caps, mobile phones and belts. 

I didn’t know this. Labubu was created by Hong Kong-born illustrator, Kasing Lung, who grew up in Holland. His like for old European folklore with its myths and monsters inspired his picture book series, The Monsters Trilogy. Labubu was one of the featured monsters. The rest, as ‘they’ say, is history.

The Labubu success story is fascinating.   

From an arty collector’s item, it became mainstream popular in 2024. This was when K-pop superstar Lisa of Blackpink, yes, I actually know this all-girl Korean band, posted her cache of Labubu dolls on Instagram. In an environment where celebrities and influencers seem to hold sway on anything and everything from cosmetics, clothes, cars to toys, Lisa helped Labubu’s spectacular rise in sales and recognition. Everyone and their dog/cat had to have a Labubu, urgently.

According to various media stories, Lisa had posted photos of her various Labubus on her own accord. It was not a paid advertisement. Since then, other celebrities seen and photographed with their Labubus have included singer Rihanna, influencer Kim Kardashian and even English former professional footballer, Sir David Beckham.

The exponential growth of these adorkable toys was also majorly spurred by China’s unapparelled toy production value chain that could easily and quickly transform designs into mass produced items.

But, the more significant and very likely contributor to Labubu’s success is Pop Mart’s emergence as its sole mass-market distributor and strategist. Who is Pop Mart? This is so interesting. Pop Mart is a Chinese-based retailer that started as a variety shop in Beijing in 2010. Like a pound shop in the UK. Today, it’s known as a market leading character-based entertainment company with a presence in over 23 countries. Wow.

It was Pop Mart that revitalised the blind box marketing strategy. What’s a blind box? Basically, its customers buying a Labubu toy but not knowing which Labubu character/version they’ll get until they open the box.

‘This taps into the psychological principle of  …

• Variable reward: The element of surprise provides immense excitement at the point of purchase, driving repeat buys to complete a collection or get the rare “secret figure” (which can be as low as 1 in 144 chances in some series).
• Scarcity and FOMO: Pop Mart releases limited editions of Labubu and special seasonal sets, fuelling the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) phenomenon. When supply is low, the perceived value of the product skyrockets. This creates a thriving secondary market where collectors pay exorbitant amounts for ultra-rare editions[1].’

As an aside, an earlier iteration of the blind box that I remember getting excited about was McDonald’s Happy Meals, where the surprise element was a plastic toy in a box. Yay. Somewhat similar are the generic Christmas crackers. The actual action of pulling apart the crackers and the popping sounds can be riverting reveals. But they’re not. Mainly because of the same-same, unimaginative ‘gifts’ in the crackers – miniature deck of cards, measuring tape. Hmm. No surprise. No fun.

There are many unboxing videos of Labubu on TikTok, which have become events in themselves. People share their experiences online – joy, delight, surprise – as they reveal their find to mass audiences. There’s even one of Brad Pitt doing a Labubu unboxing. Clever, yes. Hashtags like #labubu, #labubuunboxing, #popmart, and #popmartlabubu are so popular.

Agreed, the blind box strategy has an element of chance or gambling. It draws fans and customers to buy and buy again. Depending on who you ask, the money spent may be worth the mystery of the blind box, the fun of the reveal and the challenge of collecting toys in a series or from new releases. Or just a mighty waste of moolah on gimmicky toys.

I have a collection of plush toys that sit in my home office. I don’t own a Labubu but I do know how much happiness my ‘little friends’ give me, especially Joy, my pink Hippo. Hmm.