What are Labubus and how did they get so popular?

Troll-like Labubu dolls have taken over the consumer world. Their creator, Pop Mart, has reported a near 400% net profit so far this year, while some have spent thousands on the toys second-hand.

The frenzy over the furry dolls has led to huge queues outside the Chinese retailer's stores, and even forced the company to stop selling them at its 16 UK locations to avoid fighting among customers.

Now, "dangerous" knock-offs are being pumped out to try and capitalise on the fact demand is exceeding supply.

But how did Labubus get so popular, how long have they been around and how much are they actually worth?

What are they?

The mischievous looking plush dolls are part of a series by Pop Mart called The Monsters, created by Hong Kong artist and author Kasing Lung.

The Labubu and the rest of The Monsters first featured in a Nordic mythology-inspired picture book trilogy in 2015, before Pop Mart turned them into the furry dolls in 2019.

It started as one character, which Pop Mart describes as an "elvish creature" who is "kind-hearted and always wants to help," but "often accidentally achieves the opposite".

Now, Labubus are a full-on brand, with different colours, facial expressions and sometimes clothing.

The most popular type of Labubu is the roughly-15cm pendant, which is often hooked onto people's bags.

These are typically sold in "blind boxes" - meaning you pay for a Labubu, but you don't know what type you've got until you open the packaging up after purchasing.

Pop Mart releases different series with different themes, and some figures are much rarer collectables than others.

But there are all sorts of products for sale, from plush dolls over double that size, to hard figurines, Labubu-themed bags, cups and laptop cases.

Mini versions of Labubu pendants designed to hang off of mobile phones are set to be launched at the end of August, promising to propel the hysteria further.

How did they get so popular?

Despite being around since 2019, the Labubu doll craze really took off last year, largely thanks to K-Pop group Blackpink's Lisa, who started hooking them to her bags and posting photos of their boxes in April 2024.

She went on to promote them in interviews, telling Vanity Fair in a November 2024 video that they had become her "secret obsession".

Many of the top comments under the video, where Lisa unboxes several Labubus, credit it as the moment the craze began.

Other celebrity endorsements helped turn the Labubu into not just a toy, but a fashion statement, with British singer Dua Lipa clipping them to her bags towards the end of 2024 and Rihanna being seen doing the same in February 2025.

By then, the dolls were plastered over social media, with TikTok unboxing videos getting millions of views.

As the toys began to rapidly sell out, videos sharing tips on how to find them also took off.

Labubus have become so popular in the UK that in April, Pop Mart was forced to take them off the shelves entirely, saying it was to "ensure the safety and comfort of everyone" following reports of customers fighting over them and queuing overnight outside shops.

Customers were being told to enter an online raffle on Pop Mart's online store to be in with a chance of getting one.

The craze has reached real extremes in the US, where police in California recovered 14 boxes of Labubus worth $30,000 (£22,238) after they were stolen in a series of trips spanning multiple days, and arrested two minors suspected of planning to resell them.

A week prior, a group of masked thieves stole $7,000 (£5,189) worth of the toys from a Los Angeles store.

How much are Labubus worth?

Pop Mart is currently selling the pendant blind boxes for £18 each on its UK site.

Other Labubu collectables can go for more; the most expensive being an angel-themed 58cm doll listed for £215.

But if you visit the site now, you'll see that every Labubu item - even the ones marked as new - are completely sold out.

Some rare collector's editions of the doll have sold for thousands at auction; the Three Wise Labubu went for $28,300 in (£20,983) in May and the Sacai x Seventeen x Labubu for $31,250 (£23,167) in July.

Many customers have resorted to paying for them second-hand.

One UK collector, Ashley Bushey, said she spent more than £1,000 on 13 Labubu toys, after spending hours scrolling on TikTok Shop, Vinted and Facebook re-sale groups.

In July, a limited edition Labubu made in collaboration with the shoe brand Vans sold for $10,585 (£7,844) on eBay - the highest any had sold on the secondary market, according to Forbes.

Fake Labubu monsters could cause real danger

Labubu knock-offs labelled "Lafufus" have started being produced to capitalise on the real toy's popularity, but both the UK's Trading Standards and the US government have warned that they could be dangerous.

They have said that without proper safety checks, the counterfeit toys may contain choking hazards, toxic materials, or faulty components that put children at serious risk.

The Trading Standards has seized thousands of unsafe counterfeit Labubu dolls in recent weeks - with over 2,000 confiscated from 13 retailers in North Tyneside in just one month, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) said.

(c) Sky News 2025: What are Labubus and how did they get so popular?