Labubu has taken the world by storm. The cheeky character from blind box giant Pop Mart went viral after K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink posted photos of a Labubu charm on her bag in April.
Inspired by Nordic folklore, Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung created the character in 2015 as part of a series called The Monsters. The story series features Labubu along with other characters like Zimomo, Tycoco, Spooky and Pato.
After celebrities were seen toting it, everyone else also wanted to have the fluffy doll hanging on their bags. The currently sold-out Labubu blind box retails for $24.90 on the Pop Mart website, but resellers are charging up to $65 for the plushie keychain.
Collectors are willing to pay the exorbitant price to get their hands on the doll. However, some in Singapore have chosen to go to more extreme – and illegal – lengths to get a Labubu of their own.
Sticky fingers
At around 1.30pm on Oct 16, a girl was allegedly caught on camera swiftly grabbing a first-generation Labubu Macaron doll off a shelf at a Plaza Singapura claw machine store, Clawpitiam.
A video from the store’s CCTV footage posted on Clawpitiam’s Facebook account shows a girl taking the doll off the shelf and walking out of the store without making payment.
The owner said he posted the clip in hopes that she would return the doll to the shop. The now discontinued doll had a price tag of $20, but may have been worth about $50 on the resale market at the time it was taken.
“She looks quite young and deserves a chance to turn over a new leaf. I hope she can return the product and we won’t pursue the matter further,” the owner told Lianhe Zaobao.
The Facebook post has since been deleted, and it is unclear if the alleged thief has returned the doll to the store.