Hands up if you’ve never met a bandwagon you’ve not jumped on? If that rings true for you, then chances are you’ve come across Labubus, the internet’s latest obsession.
Just when we were getting used to every other video being someone’s enviable Jellycat collection, there’s a new trinket in town and an unusual one at that.
Labubus are quickly growing in popularity with plenty of bougie women hanging the monster keyrings from their Hermes bags (what a world) and Love Island’s Olivia Attwood being one of their biggest fans.
Where did Labubus come from?
Labubus are little rabbit-esque monsters that were created by Hong Kong-born artist and illustrator Kasing Lung as part of his The Monsters series.
According to Pop Mart, he wrote three Nordic Fairy Tale picture books in 2015 that are about The Monsters Zimomo, Tycoco, Spooky, Pato, and Labubu, who are both good and evil.
‘Despite a mischievous first impression, Labubu is very kind-hearted and always wants to help others while accidentally doing bad things,’ the shop says about Labubu, who is the most popular character.
What is a Labubu?
The design is supposed to be a friendly monster and the Labubus that are now the ‘it’ accessory to have can clip onto your bag with a keychain.
There are many versions of Labubu available but the most popular ones (or at least the most viral ones) look like they’re wearing a fluffy suit with a hard, smiling face.
Where can you buy a Labubu and how much are they?
Pop Mart is the official seller of Labubus and you can order them online in Ireland – but you’d be lucky to find them in stock, as is their popularity at the moment.
If you’re heading to London any time soon, Selfridges does have a pop-up where the products are restocked throughout the day.
Two of the most popular Labubu collections are the Have A Seat range and the Tasty Macarons range and yes, each colour does have a name.
Fan favourites in the Tasty Macarons set include Toffee (who is brown), Soymilk (who is cream) and Sea Salt Coconut (who is blue).
A box containing one Labubu will set you back €20, and it’s also possible to buy a ‘whole set’ box of six for €120 (there are no multi-buy deals here).
Why are they so popular?
As with anything that goes viral, there’s a healthy amount of it being the ‘it’ thing to have that makes it so popular but Labubus, despite their grumpy expressions, are pretty cute.
It also helps that the boxes are set up like mystery bags so you don’t know which colour you’re going to get when you buy it.
Those desperate for a Soymilk (the cream one) or a Sesame Bean (the grey one) are going to keep on buying boxes until they get their wish.
All hail Queen of the Labubus, Olivia Attwood
Olivia Attwood of Love Island fame is one of the celebs who has fallen hard for Labubus, with the reality star often sharing her collection in videos.
She’s attached Labubus to Hermes bags and posed with them in Dubai and even got to meet Labubu creator at Harrods.
Olivia has even sparked a new TikTok trend with her love for Labubu and if you’ve ever wondered where the ‘God forbid a girl has hobbies’ line came from, it was one of Olivia’s craze videos.
Celebs such as Rihanna and Dua Lipa have also been seen with a Labubu… we guess it’ll only be a matter of time before they take over Ireland as well!