4 things to know about Labubu, the popular Pop Mart figure with fans including Blackpink’s Lisa

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Serrated teeth. Devillish eyes. Despite eschewing the traits of conventionally cute mascots, Labubu has emerged as one of the most sought-after figures in recent months. In fact, this unassuming elvish toy is so popular that she has led to unruly crowds worldwide – even in Singapore.

Back in August, there were reports of shouting and pushing among fans at the Pop Toy Show, held at Marina Bay Sands, as they fought for limited-edition Labubu items including an exclusive Labubu Merlion pendant.

So what exactly is a Labubu and why is there so much fanfare surrounding her? Here’s what you need to know.

1. WHAT IS A LABUBU?

Labubu is a character in a series of stories called The Monsters by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung who was raised in the Netherlands. Inspired by Nordic fairy tales, Lung created The Monsters universe in 2015 and modelled his characters after elves, fairies and monsters.
 

Characterised by her pointed ears, serrated teeth and fur, Labubu is described as kind-hearted and always wanting to help others – while accidentally doing bad things.

Other characters in The Monsters universe include Zimomo, Tycoco, Spooky and Pato.

Fun fact: To tell Zimomo and Labubu apart, just look at their tails and faces – Zimomo has a spiked tail and a round face while Labubu doesn’t have a tail and has a squarish face.

In 2019, Lung signed an exclusive licence agreement with Chinese toy maker Pop Mart – leading to the sales of blind box figures based on The Monsters.

2. HOW DID LABUBU GET SO POPULAR?

Generally, Pop Mart figures have been popular. For instance, the Skullpanda and Molly series continue to do well to this day.

As such, it was a given that Lung’s licence with Pop Mart would bring The Monsters – and Labubu – to a mainstream audience.
 

In fact, in January this year, Labubu and Zimomo figures appeared at Milan Fashion Week as part of Chinese designer brand Pronounce’s show. Furthermore, models strutted the runway wearing tops emblazoned with the faces of the two Monsters.
 

That being said, Labubu’s popularity reached the stratosphere in April after Thai singer and Blackpink member Lisa posted an Instagram story of her holding a giant Labubu plush toy and another of her with a Labubu charm.

Since then, Labubu figures have become highly sought after globally. 

3. HOW POPULAR ARE LABUBU FIGURES?

In Singapore, prices of limited-edition Labubu figures can reach as high as the thousands on resale platform Carousell.

In Lisa’s homeland of Thailand, there have been reports of more and more locals flying to China to purchase Labubu toys – either as souvenirs or for resale purposes.

The Thai government even had to warn the public about scams involving Labubu toys. In August, the Thai police arrested a Thai-Cambodian couple for allegedly deceiving online buyers into pre-ordering Labubu toys, which resulted in over 2 million baht (US$61,276) in losses, as reported in the Bangkok Post. 

Nonetheless, Labubu’s popularity continues to persist. On Jul 1, a Labubu mascot arrived in Bangkok for a four-day visit to explore the kingdom’s landmarks and culture, as part of a campaign organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Pop Mart.

In Singapore, the Sengkang West branch of the People’s Action Party (PAP) recently posted a TikTok video in which a Labubu figure is decked out in PAP’s uniform. The video was made to showcase a grocery distribution welfare project to help senior citizens living in Compassvale Crescent.

4. WILL THE HYPE SURROUNDING LABUBU LAST?

CNA Lifestyle reached out to a few Pop Mart collectors in Singapore to get their thoughts on Labubu and its impact.

Rachel Yohannan, an editor at lifestyle magazine Time Out Singapore, has been collecting Pop Mart figures since 2021 and boasts a dedicated showcase shelf for her figures. However, she has been “completely unbothered by the whole Labubu frenzy” as she tends to go for “a cuter vibe”. 

Yohannan added that she felt the hype surrounding Labubu would eventually die down, relating her experience of seeing older figurines being sold off at a loss.

“There are tons of people on various Pop Mart Facebook and Telegram groups selling off their older figurines in ‘quitting sales’. A lot of these are figurines from series that were once highly sought after,” she said. 

Singaporean content creator Leah Shannon Neubronner – a popular figure in Singapore’s blind box collection scene – agreed that Labubu’s popularity will eventually taper off.

“It will probably die off in a couple of months when a new series that is cute or is endorsed by another celebrity comes out. Pop Mart launches series way too frequently, so people will move on from this soon.”

Neubronner, who has travelled to Shanghai to shop at the biggest Pop Mart store, also agrees with the consensus that Labubu’s skyrocketing popularity is due to Lisa’s influence.

“Now everyone thinks it’s cute. Previously, people used to call it ugly.”