If you’ve been on the internet in the past month or so, you will probably have seen or heard of the rise of a furry, maniacal little rabbit-like figure called a Labubu. You’ve probably also been wondering why you’ve been seeing it everywhere and who this is meant to be for. Well, me too! So, let’s explore together.
Labubu’s have been around since 2015, originally starting as creepy characters in Hong Kong artist, Kasing Lung’s, picture books. In 2019, he joined forces with Pop Mart to bring Labubu’s to life as physical vinyl figures. After being seen on Lisa from BLACKPINK’s Instagram, their popularity boomed around mid-2024 – we then saw the likes of Lisa’s bandmate Rosé, Dua Lipa, Rihanna, and many other celebs flaunting these grimacing little things. To a large extent, there is definitely something to be said about the power and influence of K-pop on culture and trends – but that’s something we’ll have to save for another blog, or we’ll be here for hours.
Amidst the economic storms, Pop Mart has proven itself to be somewhat recession-proof. According to Bloomberg, the company reported $1.8 billion in revenue in 2024, which is over a 100% increase from the previous year. Labubu dolls in particular also blow up hugely on resale sites, often selling for crazy high prices (well into the £100s and sometimes even into the £1000s for rarer figures). They’ve actually become so popular that Pop Mart have had to temporarily pause in-store sales this week in the UK amidst safety concerns over the sheer number of people lining up outside of stores. The part that might shock you the most, though, is that Pop Mart is now valued as $34 billion – which is more than Hasbro, Mattel, and Sanrio combined. Yep.
Labubu’s aren’t the first of their kind, though, and they most certainly won’t be the last, either. With the craze in popularity around the likes of Sonny Angels, Smiski’s, and Jellycat’s, it kind of seems to me like everyone just loves a weird little guy. But there’s got to be more to it, right? There is. Don’t worry. Of course there is. And it aaaall comes back to fandom.
To start with, blind boxes have been gaining huge popularity. To their very core, they’re addictive; you’re always chasing the high of getting the one you actually want. Surrounding the culture of blind boxes is also a whole load of unboxing videos, which do exceptionally well on TikTok. Importantly, the appeal of blind boxes is cross-generational. It’s not just kids who love them, adults love them too, and are arguably the main drivers of the Labubu craze. One thing Pop Mart does very well is their ability to make scarcity scalable. Labubu’s are only available at Pop Mart and in very limited quantities. Ultimately, the blind box playbook is a cyclical success – you buy it, you open it, you find somewhere to proudly display it, and then you chase the high once more.
Additionally, there’s a community in collecting Labubu’s. It’s not just shopping – it’s badging. From community-led events to resale frenzies, it’s a decentralised fandom with a shared language of weird little guys. Collecting Labubu’s offers identity, community, and cultural currency. The blind box nature of Labubu’s lends itself well to community building, too. There’s a huge trading culture that happens both online and in real life. Labubu’s have also been connected to the fashion community. Many people and celebrities (men and women!) have been seen attaching them to their designer bags. Labubu’s double up as luxury-adjacent bag charms that let people inject a bit of personality into their style. This ability to express fandom through customisation and personalisation is key to building community and signalling belonging.
Another aspect to the success of Labubu’s is our desire to find comfort and escapism during trying times. People are craving small pockets of joy. Labubu’s are playful, relatively affordable, and add injections of personality onto whatever you pair them with. There’s also a large element of nostalgia attributed to this comfort for kidult audiences through the act of collecting. You could also argue that Labubu’s are a modern example of the “lipstick effect”, which is the idea that people tend to spend more on smaller luxury items (like lipstick) during economic downturns because they don’t feel like they’ll be able to splash on anything big. In today’s climate, Labubu’s feel like an affordable, accessible, and silly little treat – kind of like a nice coffee or pastry. And why shouldn’t we be allowed to find a bit of whimsy in a silly little treat every now and then?
So, to conclude, it’s clear that there’s more to Labubu’s than just being weird little guys. They’re tokens of who we are, what we love, and how we connect. For many, they bring comfort, nostalgia, belonging, surprise, and delight. In a world that often feels overwhelming, Labubu’s offer a whimsical escape – just enough weirdness to make things feel a little more fun. And with that, I’ll see you when the next weird little guy comes along.
