In the ’80s, there were Cabbage Patch Kids. In the ’90s, Beanie Babies and Tamagotchis. The 2010s marked the rise of fidget spinners. It’s no surprise that every decade has had a toy that is remembered in history for its popularity and cultural impact.
In 2025 came the Labubu, furry toys appealing to both kids and adults.
Looking like they escaped straight out of Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” with their wide eyes and mischievous grins, the devious-looking creatures’ design is based on Nordic imagery, despite being created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung.
Lung created the Labubu to bring a unique and playful character inspired by his love for Nordic folklore to life. He was inspired by the Nordic elf-like creatures he read about in storybooks as a child while growing up in the Netherlands. Wanting to create his own imaginative world, he introduced them as female elves in his 2015 art series, The Monsters.
In 2019, PopMart partnered with the artist to create and sell Labubu dolls, but they did not reach global popularity until K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink was photographed with Labubu dolls in April 2024. Other celebrities like Rihanna, Dua Lipa and Naomi Osaka have also been seen with the Labubu, contributing to its hype and turning it into a fashion accessory and status symbol.
Their blind-box nature as well as their “creepy-cute” appearance have also caused their popularity to skyrocket. Children rock these colorful creatures on their backpacks, adults clip several on their bags and many collectors proudly display Labubu figurines on their shelves. The global craze can be seen throughout platforms like Reddit, where users share extensive advice for getting the blind box creatures before they sell out on the r/labubu subreddit.
Despite its popularity, the Labubu has been more controversial than its popular toy predecessors. Conspiracy theories on platforms like TikTok have linked the furry creature’s resemblance to Pazuzu, a Mesopotamian demon and possessive spirit in the 1973 film, “The Exorcist.” Some owners destroyed or burned their dolls in a panic, while others got rid of them as a way to cleanse negative energy. While their sharp-toothed grins and big eyes are shared characteristics, the theory has been debunked.
However, despite their “creepy-cute” charm, the controversy continues for more serious reasons, including overconsumption and mindless consumerism.
“The toy industry — $40 billion and growing in North America — has the highest plastic intensity, according to a major United Nations report on plastic use across all consumer goods,” says Preety Sharma, University of Toronto Journalism Fellow and freelance journalist. With adults consuming more toys than before, toy waste isn’t solely created by children anymore. Combined with the increasingly short cycles of microtrends, plastic pollution will continue to grow at a steady rate, if not exponentially.
The consumerism that Labubu fuels is evident in viral trends on platforms like TikTok and celebrity endorsements from artists like Blackpink’s Lisa, creating a “fear of missing out” (FOMO) and a desire to keep up with the latest aesthetic. This desire to own rare and exclusive Labubu figurines (or any at all) is often about fitting in with a trend rather than a genuine appreciation for the doll itself.
Additionally, Labubus are an important signal for society for another reason: some theories suggest that the obsession is an outlet for feelings of economic hopelessness, a form of the “lipstick effect” where people splurge on small, comforting luxuries when they cannot afford larger financial goals.
So, what can be gathered from this divisive trend? For both critics and consumers, Labubus are a reminder to reflect on one’s purchases and relationship with consumerism. While it’s easy for an individual to become powerless in the current economic system, this craze is a signal of the power that individuals can hold in regards to our planet and society as a whole.