Collectible toys — we know them, we love them, and most of us have probably had one or two as children.
“I think of Beanie Babies, Furby,” said Michelle Parnett-Dwyer, curator at the Strong Museum of Play.
Or even as adults — “A lot of those people thought, it’s a short-lived product, but now you’re seeing the kids that used to play with it who are now adults wanting to have it again,” Parnett-Dwyer said.
The most sought-after collectibles were once toys like Cabbage Patch Kids and Barbie or Bratz dolls. Today, the little monsters known as ‘Labubus’ have taken the world by storm.
“It appeals to small children because of something cute and cuddly and small that they get nearly fit in their pocket, or they can hang on their backpack, and then you get up to a little bit older, where people become nostalgic for their childhood and still want those little basic creature comforts,” said Parnett-Dwyer.
As the way we play and the things we play with have changed throughout the years, social media has played a big part.
“I think collectibles are definitely more popular because of social media,” said Parnett-Dwyer. “It’s provided an opportunity to reach a broader audience. Whereas before you were limited to sort of searching through magazines, maybe joining a collector group so you could kind of collaborate with each other.”
But while social media has brought many of the new age collectibles to the forefront, it has also brought more scams, especially when it comes to Labubus.
“We’ve been receiving an increasing number of reports of Labubu scams, also known as ‘Lafufu’ scams reported to our scam tracker,” said Katarina Schmieder, communications director for the Better Business Bureau of upstate New York. “Typically people are ordering them and never receiving the product or realizing that they ordered it from a fraudulent website. Many of these fake websites and ads for products originate on social media, particularly TikTok or Instagram.”
But experts say when it comes to collectible toys, a high risk of scam is nothing new.
“Scammers are very savvy and they stay on top of trends so they know what the popular products are,” said Schmieder.
Which is why it’s extra important to do your research when buying things like labubus, especially online.
“If you are shopping for one of these popular products, you know, especially a novelty, something that might be more difficult to get your hands on, you really want to have your guard up.”
Because for collectors of any age, getting the Labubu is better than getting the “Lafufu.”
“It goes with our basic, you know, instinct to want to collect something that seems inaccessible,” said Parnett-Dwyer.