What is Labubu and why are people obsessed with it?
In May, I was surprised when a friend asked me where she could buy a Labubu bag charm.
Labubu was a word I used to hear only in the toy collecting circles.
On one hand, I was the right person to ask. The bag charm is by Pop Mart and I’ve been collecting art toys from the Beijing-based company for several years now. I started in the first months of the pandemic and I swear, ripping open those blind boxes helped me stay sane during the lockdowns.
But on the other hand, I was not the right person to ask. You see, Pop Mart collaborates with a lot of different artists and brands in creating toys. I have my favorites—and Labubu wasn’t one of them. In fact, in 2020, when I bought the whole box of Pop Mart’s 10th anniversary series, which featured their different characters, Labubu was one of the few figures I decided not to keep. Nothing against the little monster, I was just more hooked on Pucky, Molly, Satyr Rory, and Bobo & Coco, and so I sold it to another collector.
Labubu is a character from “The Monsters,” a series of stories created by artist and children’s book illustrator Kasing Lung in 2015. Lung, who was born in Hong Kong, grew up in the Netherlands, and divides his time between Hong Kong and Belgium, was inspired by Nordic folklore in creating “The Monsters.”
Lung worked with Hong Kong brand How2Work and published “The Monsters” books and toys, including that of Labubu, a mischievous-looking elf with long pointy ears, a giant smile and super sharp teeth. In 2019, Lung partnered with Pop Mart, which also started releasing toys and other merch inspired by Labubu.
While Labubu had fans, back then, it wasn’t Pop Mart’s most popular character.
But that has changed, thanks in part to Blackpink’s Lisa. In April, the K-pop star posted two Labubus on her Instagram: a big 40-centimeter vinyl plush doll and a smaller vinyl plush pendant hanging from her studded Elena bag from the New York brand Khaite. Both items were from Pop Mart’s The Monsters Fall in Wild series and it was the bag charm that my friend wanted to buy.
I asked my Pop Mart suki if they had any. They had none. I asked a toy collector friend who owned one if he knew where my friend could get it. He said Pop Mart’s Lazmall shop carries it but it sells out super fast—he had gotten his months ago.
Meanwhile, my friend was doing her own search, and she lucked out, getting one through a reseller. She didn’t stop at one Labubu, her collection kept growing.
Labubu everywhere
It wasn’t just her. Soon, I was seeing Labubu bag charms everywhere—Fall in Wild, Tasty Macaron, Have a Seat—on my Instagram feed, and out in the real world.
Perhaps it was the plush factor—the furriness of Labubu does add to its cuteness. Perhaps it’s the fact that, unlike your usual vinyl art toys, you can hang it from your bag and take it with you everywhere. Perhaps it’s the power of Lisa. Or Labubu. Or both.
But Labubu has caught on. It (she, actually—yes, she’s a girl) was no longer just a character loved by toy collectors—Labubu has hit the mainstream and it hit hard. People are obsessed. Stocks are selling out, prices are going up (the P900 pendants/bag charms were being resold for up to P3,500), resellers are multiplying and there are even counterfeits proliferating (the Thai government even issued warnings about fake toys).
The Labubu craze has spread to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the United States and yes, the Philippines.
Pop Mart has stores in 25 countries—and fans are flocking to them, some even lining up for hours for their fix. Last week, to the delight of local Labubu and Pop Mart fans, Pop Mart opened its first pop-up in the country at the SM Mall of Asia. It will be here until early next year.
Varr Co, who started collecting Pop Mart art toys in 2019, has already gone to the pop-up. “My targeted items were still available. Got a few items to add to my collection which I’m excited to share on my socials,” he said.
He bought his first Labubu figure in 2020. “I got my Macaron December 2023. So yeah, nauna kami kay Lisa, choz!” he joked.
His current favorites are “my Toffee Exciting Macaron and Zizi Have A Seat pendants.”
He has mixed feelings about the Labubu craze. “Collectors like myself are having a hard time buying these collectibles at SRP. Masyadong mabibilis ang resellers. But at the same time, nakaka-happy every time nakikita ko yung mga charms sa mga bags ng tao. (‘The resellers are too fast. But it makes me happy to see the charms on people’s bags.’)”
Labubu has so many fans, from little kids to the fashionable set who walk around with multiple bag charms dangling from their Birkins. It’s really been a great year for Labubu—Labubu even made an appearance front row at Milan Fashion Week in January, the result of a collaboration with the brand Pronounce.
Dr. Coreen Copuyoc has been a Labubu collector since the start of the year. “I discovered it while hanging out in Pop Mart Bangkok. One of the local girls had a chestnut cocoa Labubu hanging from her Birkin and it reminded me of my childhood love for trolls in the ’90s. Then I asked my friend, Mich, owner of Bangkok goods shop @extragrandlavishh, to find one for me and the rest is history.’’
Her collection has grown quickly. “I have all the plush pendants and the bigger plushies. The only one I don’t have yet is the Zimomo Angel in Clouds. Most were gifted, though, and I super appreciate them.”
What does she love about Labubu? “I love that they’re cute and funny. I like that you can style them.”
The Labubu craze really intensified in the country in recent weeks, Copuyoc said. “I think because of show biz people getting into them.”
Unboxing
Oh yes, even local celebrities have become obsessed. Marian Rivera, Kathryn Bernardo, Heart Evangelista, Ruffa Gutierrez, Jinkee Pacquiao and Rufa Mae Quinto are just some of the many personalities who have been bitten by the Labubu bug.
Vice Ganda did an unboxing of her Labubu haul on her YouTube channel, saying, “‘Di ba nakaka-GV? Kaya ko shinare sa inyo, kasi napapasaya nila ako. Nagbibigay sila ng good vibes sa akin (That’s why I shared them with you, because they bring me joy. They give me good vibes).”
Singer Jed Madela began collecting Pop Mart blind boxes before the pandemic. “Before I got into Pop Mart, I was already a toy collector. My first line was Molly. Then I explored other lines of characters and came across the Monsters which included Labubu, Zimomo and the rest of the group,” he told Lifestyle.
Madela loves the naughtiness of Labubu’s smile. Today, he has an entire room full of Pop Mart pieces and a wall of Labubu characters. “I lost count already,” he said.
He has blind boxes, plushies, bag charms, carpets, exclusives and even a huge store display. “It just amazes me that for something that has been in the market for quite some time now suddenly became a sought-after item all over the world. All about the right timing.”
Of course, the craze has had an impact on longtime fans. Madela said, “Items became really difficult to get because of the demand and prices ridiculously skyrocketed.”
It’s no longer just the bag charms that people are crazy about, says Kevin Lim who runs R&G Toys and Collectibles, which has branches in Greenhills and Century City Mall.
“A lot of people are interested in the blind boxes. Some are interested in the bigger and pricier Labubu items, too.”
R&G has been selling Labubu items since 2018 but Lim said they noticed a real growth in people becoming obsessed with the character around September and October. He said, “I am happy to see local collectors appreciate Labubu since it’s been very popular abroad for some time already. They are also starting to get familiar with other characters from Pop Mart’s art toy lineup, which is good for collectors who aren’t very fond of Labubu.”
Jeany Lim has been collecting Labubu since 2016, after discovering the character at Toy Soul, the annual toy exhibition in Hong Kong. She fell in love with the character’s “cute but funny expressions” and her collection has now grown to 200 pieces—from blind boxes to 18-inch Zimomos.
“With the emergence of new collectors, it makes the hunt a bit more challenging. Plus, the demand is more than the supply. It makes collecting more expensive. It’s harder to get new releases but I am happy that Kasing Lung is getting the recognition he truly deserves in this part of the world. It took a while but the Labubu craze is here hopefully to stay,” she said.
Some longtime collectors aren’t happy about their beloved character becoming more mainstream but not Jeany. “For me, there is room for everyone.”
