Ever heard of Labubu? Scroll through social media and you’ll likely come across unboxing videos or clips of shoppers waiting in long lines to get one. Read about the viral toy and fashion accessory.
They may be cute, but don’t let their nine-tooth smiles fool you: Labubus are bringing in serious business.
Created by artist Kasing Lung and sold by Pop Mart, these toys and fashion accessories often small enough to fit on a keyring are raking in big bucks. How much exactly? In April, Pop Mart North America’s Head of Licensing Emily Brough told NBC News the Blind Box series for The Monsters, a group of characters that includes Labubu, generated more than $419 million in revenue in 2024—producing 726.6 percent year-over-year growth.
“The passion and demand we have seen for Labubu over the last few months, and most recently with the Into Energy release, has surpassed our expectations!” the executive wrote in an email to the outlet, citing one of its product series. “It’s been wonderful to see the impact our mischievous and lovable Labubu is having globally.”
But you don’t need to just take Brough’s word for it to see that Labubu is a monster success. Scroll through TikTok and you’ll find countless videos of fans waiting in extensive store lines to get their hands on a Labubu and doing unboxing videos to reveal which Labubu was in their Blind Box—a mystery that’s only fully solved once the package is opened. Several stars—including BLACKPINK‘s Lisa, Simone Biles and Hilary Duff—have also shown their love for the figures.
But if you’re still wondering what exactly a Labubu is, fear not. Keep scrolling to learn all about the phenomenon.
Simply put, a Labubu is a toy inspired by the story series “The Monsters” created by artist Kasing Lung, who was born in Hong Kong and later moved to The Netherlands.
Pop Mart can thank BLACKPINK’s Lisa for helping them turn Labubus into the phenomenon they are today. In fact, The White Lotus star called the toy brand her “secret obsession” in a 2024 video for Vanity Fair.
“If I fly to New York, I go to Miami, I try to find Pop Mart there,” she said in the clip, “Paris, everywhere. Kind of like finding treasure.”
However, Lisa’s secret obsession didn’t stay a secret for long. Soon, other stars like Rihanna, Madonna, Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa and David Beckham were either photographed with or posting their own pics of their Labubus.
Unboxing videos also helped drive the virality of Labubus. As Pop Mart explains on its website, Labubus are packaged in a “Blind Box,” which “keeps the collectible toy as a mystery until it is opened.”
“Blind boxes typically come in series that shows a collection,” the company’s website notes, “some figurines are rarer to find than others, these are referred to as ‘secret,’ ‘hidden’ or ‘chase’ figures.”
Shoppers can either purchase a single Blind Box, which contains one item, or they can buy a set featuring six Blind Boxes with no repeats. And videos of people opening their boxes to find out which Labubus they got can rack up thousands, if not millions, of views.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Crystal Kung Minkoff, for instance, has posted several unboxing videos on her social media channels, captioning one, “Are you [on] the Labubu bandwagon?”
The price for a Labubu varies. In The Monsters Exciting Macaron set, for instance, a single Blind Box costs $27.99 while a whole set of six is priced at $167.94. Meanwhile, the Mega Labubu Tec 1000% All About Us, which is a much larger figure, costs $959.90.
However, Pop Mart toys can often sell out quickly, and sometimes people will post a Labubu they purchased on a resale website and hike up the price.
In addition to buying Labubus on Pop Mart’s website, shoppers can purchase them in the company’s stores or vending machines. But just search TikTok and you’ll see there can often be long lines.
Still, some stars like Emma Roberts may argue it’s worth the wait.
“My dream finally came true,” the actress said in a May 31 Instagram video. “I am in Milan. I went to Pop Mart, I waited in line, and I got Have a Seat Labubu.”
Pop Mart also does drops on TikTok Live, and shoppers can get boxes via the brand’s game feature Pop Now.
And while some shoppers buy Labubus on resale websites or other stores, they should make sure they’re not purchasing a “Lafufu”—the internet’s term for a fake Labubu.
Yes! Labubu is just one of the characters in “The Monsters” series. Another popular one is Zimomo.
“Labubus are all girls,” Crystal explained in a May 26 Instagram video. “Zimomos are boys.”
So how can fans tell which is which?
“When this guy has a tail, they’re called Zimomo,” Lisa noted to Vanity Fair. “If she doesn’t have a tail, we call her Labubu.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 @ 5:55 p.m. PST
Source: www.eonline.com