Labubu is a name everyone has heard within the past year. Overall, the popularity of the toy has done nothing but increase.
But really, what has caused the craze?
Around late April 2024, the Labubu went viral on social media. These dolls have triggered so much more than a trend; for instance, the toy has followed cultural events and has miraculously found its way into people’s hearts.
The Labubu was created and released by Kasing Lung in 2015 and is based on characters from his illustrated book trilogy, “The Monsters.” Labubu rose to fame once Lung partnered with the Chinese company Popmart.
Shortly after the deal was made in 2019, the Labubu was officially released with the first release of the series, “The Little Monsters,” which sold out in mere minutes.
Since then, the collectible has been in countless collections: “Exciting Macarons,” “Big into Energy,” “Coca-Cola,” etc.
The doll first began to make its appearance on social media in late 2023. Despite this, its popularity began to skyrocket in early 2025 through an abundance of influencers and advertisements.
As per usual, people have always had a tendency to follow the influence of celebrities, and in the case of the Labubu, this is no different. Due to the ridiculous amount of promotion online, it’s only natural that people have begun to follow the trend.
Resellers tend to appear at all popular trends, and it’s no surprise the Labubu has fallen victim to such. Instead of selling out in minutes, Popmart’s viral toy sold out in seconds.
Because of the absurd craze regarding Labubus, the most someone would have to do in order to own one, one would have to go through a secondary seller and pay anywhere from a humorous 60 dollars to a few hundred dollars.
With the addition of resellers, it has made it nearly impossible for adults and children alike to get their hands on the highly demanded toy.
As a consequence of the Labubu popularity and its tremendous inaccessibility, the production of fakes has begun. These fake (and almost comically ugly) versions of the original toy, known as the “Lafufu,” sell for majorly less compared to the original.
People feel very strongly about whether or not the collectible is real since the visual improvement of the Lafufu has made itself look nearly identical to the authentic. For example, there have been numerous fights because people paid for the price for Labubus from resellers, but instead received Lafufus.
Luckily, there have been no severe injuries caused by the fights. However, once taking into account the increasing popularity of the plaything, this certainly does not mean that the fights will remain harmless for long.
When asked about how they would feel if they just so happened to receive a Lafufu instead of a Labubu, “I think [my mom] would get mad at my sister because she is the one who gave [it to] her,” said Freshman Dana Dela Cruz.
The Labubu has not lost popularity like most other fads, and rather has gained more attention over the span of a few months. It is likely because Pop Mart has used other cultural moments as an advantage to create and advertise limited edition Labubus.
These special edition Labubus range from “One Piece” themed figures, all the way to collaborations with “Vans.” Pop Mart has even released Labubus based after different locations and has stopped the toy’s popularity from coming to an end.
Some believe the trend will never end, and that the value of Labubus will continue to increase, though others believe that it is just another short-lived internet trend that will soon die out.
To illustrate the public’s opinion, freshman Brian Flanagan states, “ Labubus are just another microtrend that’ll die in a year.”
Surprisingly, the toy has been facing controversy in the past months, with claims that the toy is demonic. This has led to a decrease in popularity, though not enough to end the fad.
Freshman Leonardo Solano believes “that Labubus are cursed and that they are stupid.”
The idea of the collectible being inspired by demonic figures has always been voiced, yet this idea has become more prevalent in the past months.
Whether the craze dies out or continues to control the internet is unknown. Of course, everyone has different opinions on the collectible, and that won’t change.
So, what do you think about Labubus?
