PRIMGHAR—South O’Brien Elementary art teacher Jillian Mews wants art supplies in students’ hands right away when the school year begins.
The first art class of the fall starts with art room information and expectations, but Mews wants the students excited about being back in school and being able to create.
“I like to get kids making art that first time they’re in the room, not just listening to rules and expectations,” Mews said.
The first project of the school year is a collaborative art piece. Transitional kindergartners through sixth-graders designed their own Labubu, a line of monsterlike dolls that took over the internet this summer.
“They’ve totally taken over the world, and it sort of started this summer, and it’s just continued to grow in popularity,” Mews said. “I thought it’d be something that would be super relatable to all the kids to connect with and get excited about art and coming back to school.”
She provided students with a Labubu coloring page, and students colored the dolls, cut it out and added accessories. The process to create the Labubu was similar for the students, but each grade’s Labubus had its own details.
Students added stripes, polka dots and vibrant colors to their Labubu, giving each monster an individual identity.
“I gave students some images of actual Labubus, and they could use that as reference if they wanted to mimic one that already exists,” Mews said. “They also had the option to create a fur color of one that doesn’t exist. Some students did some that were in their favorite team colors or some did rainbow or something like that.”
Students also added clothing and accessories to their art project Labubus, similar to adding clothes and accessories to the dolls.
The instructions for the project were the same for all grades, but the outcomes varied.
“The transitional kindergartners are not going to apply as many details as the sixth-graders are, so the outcome’s going to look different,” Mews said.
Each grade designed Labubus within the introductory art class period.
“It wasn’t something that we were going to enter into the art show,” Mews said. “It was just like a fun, get art supplies into your hands, and let’s get something made and up on the wall.”
Each year, the collaborative art project focuses on an artist or an art element. Hong Kong born artist Kasing Lung created Labubus. Inspired by Nordic folklore, Labubus are a cross between a troll and a monster, and each Labubu has a special meaning.
The dolls are produced and sold exclusively by the China-based retailer Pop Mart, which primarily releases Labubu figures in sealed “blind box” packaging that conceals the specific character inside.
“So, you don’t know which one you’re getting,” Mews said. “You get it in the mail, and then you open it, and it’s a surprise.”
The Labubus are labeled with attributes like “love,” “loyalty” and “luck,” and the doll purchasers receive is supposed to bring that feeling to them.
“It’s kind of like a good-luck charm-type thing,” Mews said.
The South O’Brien Elementary students’ collaborative art project is displayed outside the art classroom’s wall, greeting students and passersby with toothy smiles.