On Tuesday night, I was speed walking to meet my sister after a long day at work, and as I whipped down Elizabeth Street with one thing on my mind (the ice cold Negroni awaiting me at the other end), a women stepped out in front of me. Not one to be slowed down on my way to cocktail hour, I stepped around her, but as I took note of her perfectly tailored suit and structured leather tote bag — the epitome of corporate chic — I was jarred by the tiny little furry monster hanging from her expensive-looking bag.
Now, I haven’t been living under a rock, so of course, I immediately identified it as a Labubu. With its mischievous little face and razor-sharp teeth, plus the odd little bunny-like ears sprouting out of its head, it was unmistakably one of the ultra-viral accessories. It was the first time I’d seen one in the wild and I didn’t like it.
The Labubu trend first popped into my consciousness in April, when ELLE UK named them as the “the cool girl accessory you’ll see swinging from designer bags all [European] summer”. Accompanied by a photo of a bright orange Hermes Kelly with a fuzzy brown monster hanging from it, the article told the story of one editor’s journey to falling in love with Labubus.
At the time of writing, more than 1.4 million TikTok videos have been posted featuring the plushies, so she’s certainly not alone. But though they have boomed in popularity over the last month, particularly with stylish fashion-lovers, the admittedly quite cute little creatures have been around far longer. The Labubu first appeared as an elfin figure in Kasing Lung’s 2015 storybook, titled The Monsters. Originally from Hong Kong, Lung relocated to the Netherlands with his family at a young age and many of his illustrations over his decade-long career have drawn from the Nordic fairy tale style.
Labubus have been worn by celebrities like Lisa from Blackpink, Rihanna, and Dua Lipa.
In 2019, China’s Pop Mart entered into an exclusive licensing deal with the illustrator to bring the monsters into the real world. And thus, the Labubu was born.
They have been popular since, but this year is when the Labubu pandemonium really grabbed hold of the fashion girls, and seemingly, everyone else. In the same way that limited edition sneaker drops draw crowds down the street, Labubus have become a perpetually sold-out success. They typically sell for around $50, but predictably, they sell out quickly and then show up on resale sites for much higher prices.
It’s hard to say exactly why this particular plushie has been such a hit, but we have a few ideas. Lung has previously said that “Labubu’s cheerful grin reminds us that no matter what challenges we face, a smile can lift our spirits and lead us toward happiness”. That sounds a bit too saccharine to be true for me, but perhaps Lung is right. And I’m all for a bit more optimism in the world.
What’s more likely though, to my mind, is that scarcity has played a big role. There are three primary ranges of Labubu so far — Macaron, Have a Seat, and Big Energy — and not only are they released in limited drops, but they’re also sold as “blind boxes”, which means you don’t know which Labubu you’ll get until you’ve paid, left the store, and unwrap your prize. These factors have all combined to to make Labubu a collector’s dream (or nightmare, depending on how you look at it).
Labubus have also been worn by celebrities like Rosé and Lisa from Blackpink, Rihanna, and Dua Lipa, and we know that when a stylish celebrity co-signs a new trend, we usually want in on it too. The fact that every fashion magazine in the world has hailed it as this season’s “it” accessory is proof enough that many are buying in.
The evidence of Labubu’s global domination is everywhere, from our social media feeds to our high streets.
But the evidence of Labubu’s global domination is everywhere, from our social media feeds to our high streets, and lining the Pop Mart CEO’s pockets (Wang Ning became $1.6 billion USD richer in a single day because of the Labubu’s virality and resulting sell-out).
Just two nights after nearly running into the women with a brown little Labubu swinging from her work tote, I found myself at Pitt Street Mall in Sydney and staring at a storefront that said “Pop Mart, coming soon!”. And the store was big. Like, Zara-big. Because Pop Marts are popping up everywhere from Oxford Street in London to the World Trade Centre in New York, and people are going feral over them. Just last week, Pop Mart pulled all Labubus from its UK stores because customers were getting into fights over the toys. Actual, physical and verbal fights.
Many have posited that one reason trends like Labubu, or luxury bag charms more broadly, have boomed since mid-2024 is that the accessories have become a more affordable entry point to the luxury market. It’s well-documented that when the economy takes a hit, many people (particularly women) turn to smaller luxuries like lipstick and other makeup items. It’s called the “lipstick effect” and the phenomenon appears to have expanded into the fashion category, to include accessories like bag charms and brooches.
But even as I respect people’s desire to find little sparks of joy given the current state of affairs in global politics, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t found myself raising my eyebrow at how quickly the microtrend has overtaken the online discourse and thrust the bag charm trend towards peak consumption. Because we can all surely agree that the popularity will drop just as quickly. (I dare anyone who’s bought a Labubu to look me in the eye and tell me they think it’ll still be dangling from their bag in a few years.) And then what? We’re left with thousands of little disposable toys in our homes and landfills.
I won’t pretend to be perfect (far from it!). But in the wise words of Hailey Bieber: “I hate these lil things”.