If you’ve got your finger on the fashion pulse, you’ll likely know bag charms have come back in a big way over the past few seasons. Sure, charm chains and ribbon scarves knotted around handles are cute, but the latest – and only – way to style the trend right now is adding a keyring toy to your bag of choice, be it a Birkin or borrowed.
Not just any old keyring toy, obvs. We’re talking specifically about Labubus. Spied adorning the totes and crossbodies of all our favourite fashion girlies – plus celebs including Blackpink’s Lisa, Dua Lipa *and* Rihanna – there’s no denying the fact they have become a viral sensation. Particularly on TikTok, where select videos have received millions of views.
As such, getting your hands on one has become nigh on impossible. Until now…
If you’ve somehow missed the memo, Labubu dolls are fluffy, gremlin-like creatures available in an array of colours with bunny rabbit pointed ears, big eyes and a Joker-esque grin revealing a row of spiky teeth. A little bit creepy, they somehow manage to be incredibly cute at the same time. Designed by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, Labubus are part of a larger series of creatures called ‘The Monsters,’ inspired by Nordic mythology.
The dolls are produced by Chinese toy company, Pop Mart and are sold as ‘blind box’ collectables, meaning you don’t know which Labubu you’ve got until you open the packaging and making it that much harder to collect a full set. Consider our interests well and truly piqued.
Yet another reason it’s so hard to track one down, as people are spending hundreds to try and find elusive, rare dolls. Labubus are now being sold on resale shopping sites, with Depop reporting a +376% increase in searches for the doll since December. Buying a Labubu second-hand is a great way to pick up unique and limited edition designs of the iconic doll and characters from past collections that you might initially have missed out on, but be careful of fake Labubus – nicknamed ‘lafufus’ by some TikTokers.
So, where can you buy your very own Labubu?
In line with the popularity of the bag charm, Harrods opened a Labubu pop-up in March that is set to run for six weeks until the end fo April.
Similarly, Selfridges has recently launched their open Pop Mart pop-up that you can visit for the next six months!
For those outside of London, the best way to buy a Labubu is via Pop Mart’s online store (the brand does have a physical store, too, but again that’s in London) and we have good news – ‘The Monsters Big Into Energy’ series is getting restocked online and instore tomorrow (!!) Friday 25 April. Set your alarms!
Retailing for £17.50 each, the series consists of six Labubus, each in a different pastel shade with coordinating coloured eyes, plus a secret seventh plush pendant that has rainbow coloured eyes and teeth. Too cute! Head to the website to sign up to be notified when the collection drops.
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