Labubu is blowing up. From long lines wrapping around malls to fights breaking out in Pop Mart stores, the little monster doll with a toothy grin — specifically marketed for adults — has taken the world by storm.
“You have a lot of people on TikTok do blind box opening events,” said Markus Maciel, associate professor of toy design at Otis College. “It’s kind of like Pokemon where you get your cards, you’re not sure [what] you’re gonna get. These blind box motions help inspire people to keep wanting to collect and collect and collect.”
Besides the blind box phenomenon that has hooked global consumers, the success of Labubu is also largely driven by celebrity endorsement. K-pop group BLACKPINK member Lisa explained her Labubu obsession in a Vanity Fair interview in November, becoming one of the first celebrities to showcase the doll in the United States.
Since then, many celebrities have publicly engaged with Labubu. Brad Pitt and his fellow F1 castmates opened Labubu blind boxes during a Warner Bros. interview. Sarah Jessica Parker learned about it during a Call Her Daddy episode. Cher was seen draping one off her handbag at the Tribeca Festival in June.
Created by Hong Kong-born Belgian artist Kasing Lung as part of the picture book series The Monsters, Labubu is based on figures from Nordic mythology. In 2019, the “monsters” were transformed by Chinese designer toy company Pop Mart into a collectible that eventually unlocked a global mania.
The global obsession for Labubu has made Pop Mart a billion-dollar business. The company’s revenue doubled in 2024, reaching $1.8 billion, according to Pop Mart’s annual financial report. While the doll retails for about $30, they can go for hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars on the resale market.