Last Updated on 2024-10-12 , 5:52 pm
Every generation is iconic for its own set of collectables. For the millennials, there were the McDonald’s Hello Kitty plush toys. For this generation, there is Pop Mart — from the popular Skullpanda series to the Molly series, the collection of Pop Mart figurines seems to just keep expanding.
Recently, a particular Pop Mart figure found itself in the spotlight — Labubu, an elvish figure from a Pop Mart series named “The Monsters”. You might have seen pictures of Labubu on celebrities’ social media accounts or even seen Labubu keychains on your friends’ bags.
So, why is everyone suddenly crazy over Labubu? Well, we’re here to tell you all about it.
If you prefer to watch a video about it, watch this instead:
Prefer to read? Here goes.
Who is Labubu?
The first question is, of course, what is Labubu. Better yet, who is Labubu?
Can eat one?
For starters, Labubu is a character in a series of stories called “The Monsters”, inspired by Nordic fairy tales — think elves, fairies, and other monsters. The series was created in 2015 by a Hong Kong-born artist named Kasing Lung, who grew up in the Netherlands.
Four years after Lung created “The Monsters”, he entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the Chinese toy company Pop Mart — yes, that Pop Mart; the store selling blind boxes for collectable toys that suddenly sprung up everywhere in Singapore a few years ago.
And much like other Pop Mart figurines, Labubu has been released in all sorts of varied collections.
You can think of it a little like the Hello Kitty plush toys — you have Hello Kitty as a character, but the Hello Kitty plush toys have all sorts of variations; from the Chinese New Year collections to the 40th anniversary collection where we saw Hello Kitty dressed up as other Sanrio characters.
There have been all sorts of Labubu collections which have been released thus far — anything you can think of, it’s probably been released before. For one, we have the Labubu Monsters Patisseries, where you have Labubu with all sorts of desserts.
There was also a Lazy Yoga series which many loved as well.
Some hardcore Labubu fans would know that there was a Labubu “Hide and Seek in Singapore” series released earlier this year. Fans scrambled to get their hands on this limited edition Merlion version of Labubu.
If you thought that was it, you’re wrong. If you visit the Pop Mart website, you’ll even find a Spongebob version of Labubu.
There are all sorts of Labubu collections — too many for us to write about. But with all the Labubu collections, how do Labubu fans recognise Labubu?
Labubu is usually recognisable by her pointy ears and sharp teeth. And of course, you can always just read the Pop Mart description to find out whether the blind box you’re eyeing is indeed Labubu lah.
Why is Labubu Everywhere?
You might be thinking: “Sure, Labubu is sold in Pop Mart, but there are so many Pop Mart figurines out there. How did Labubu get so popular in the first place?”
The answer is rather simple. As with many other things, a key reason why you’re seeing Labubu everywhere is because of celebrities and social media.
The celebrity in question this time is Blackpink’s Lisa.
“The rise of Labubu plushie is mainly due to an organic post by Lisa from Blackpink earlier this year,” Pop Mart International’s head of strategic partnerships Kevin Zhang shared.
You see, earlier in April, Blackpink’s Lisa posted an Instagram story of her holding a giant Labubu plush toy. Of course, this caught the attention of many Blackpink fans.
She also posted another Instagram story of her with a Labubu keychain on her bag.
And the rest is history lah.
Since then, Labubu has become so popular that it even found itself going on a tour in Thailand.
Yes, you read that right. A life-sized Labubu mascot went on a four-day tour in Thailand to explore the country’s landmarks and culture, as part of a tourism campaign organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand in collaboration with Pop Mart.
The Labubu mascot was even wearing a Thai traditional outfit.
Even Singapore’s very own People’s Action Party (PAP) has Labubu fans. Labubu was seen donning the white PAP outfit in a TikTok uploaded this month by Lam Pin Min, the chairman of PAP’s Sengkang West branch.
Well, that’s one way to get the attention of the Gen Zs.
Where to Get a Labubu?
If you find yourself wanting to get a Labubu now after reading this, congratulations — you’ve just been “influenced”. But the question is this — where can you get one?
At the time of writing, it appears that most Labubu dolls are sold out on the Pop Mart website. However, you can always head down to one of the countless Pop Mart stores or Robo Shops (those vending machines selling Pop Marts) to try and get your hands on your very own Labubu.
Pop Mart has stores and Robo Shops islandwide, so it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle for you to find your Labubu. You can find Pop Mart’s full list of locations here.
Alternatively, you can hop onto Carousell and search “Labubu” — you’ll be greeted by thousands of listings uploaded by Singaporeans trying to resell their Labubu figurines and keychains. From the more common blind boxes to the limited edition Labubu collections, Carousell has it all.
Just be sure not to get scammed on Carousell lah, hor.
So, now that you know all about Labubu, what’s your take on the character? Do you think Labubu is cute… or weird?
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
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